David E. (David Ernest) Lantz

Born in Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, in 1855, David Ernest Lantz was trained as an educator before building a career in science. An obituary published in Science notes that he studied at the State Normal School at Bloomsburg, earned an M.S., and moved to Kansas in 1878, where he became active in educational and scientific work.

Before joining the federal government, he served in several school and academic roles, including superintendent of schools at Manhattan, Kansas, professor of mathematics at the State Agricultural College, principal of Dickinson County High School, and field agent of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. In 1904 he was appointed assistant biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey, where he focused on mammals of economic importance.

Lantz wrote widely on practical natural history and wildlife management. Surviving records of his publications include works such as The Brown Rat in the United States, Deer Farming in the United States, Economic Value of North American Skunks, Field Mice as Farm and Orchard Pests, and House Rats and Mice. He died in Washington, D.C., in 1918 after a brief illness.