author
Jacob Green
1790–1841
A restless early American scientist, teacher, and writer, he moved easily between chemistry, botany, zoology, and popular science. His books and lectures helped bring new scientific ideas to a wider public in the early 1800s.
2 Audiobooks
An epitome of electricity & galvanism
by Jacob Green, Erskine Hazard
About the author
Born in Philadelphia on July 26, 1790, Jacob Green grew up in a family deeply connected to education and public life. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania and developed an early passion for science, especially botany, while still young.
Green built a varied career as a chemist, naturalist, lecturer, and author. He taught at the College of New Jersey, later Princeton, and went on to teach chemistry, experimental philosophy, and natural history at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He also published works on electricity, chemistry, astronomy, and natural history, showing a gift for explaining scientific subjects to general readers as well as students.
He is also remembered for his work in American natural history, including studies of reptiles and amphibians, and for helping spread scientific knowledge in the United States at a time when the field was still taking shape. Green died in Philadelphia on February 1, 1841.