H. G. (Harry Govier) Seeley

Born in London in 1839, Harry Govier Seeley became one of Britain’s notable paleontologists and geologists. He studied at the Royal School of Mines and worked with leading scientists of his day, building a career around the study of ancient reptiles and fossils.

Seeley is best remembered for proposing in 1887 that dinosaurs could be divided into two great orders, Saurischia and Ornithischia, based on the structure of their hips. That idea became a lasting part of dinosaur science, even as later researchers revised other parts of dinosaur classification.

He also wrote extensively on pterosaurs and other fossil reptiles, taught at institutions including King’s College London, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He died in 1909, leaving behind work that continued to influence paleontology long after his lifetime.