Jacob Reighard

Born in 1861 and dying in 1942, Jacob Ellsworth Reighard was an American zoologist best known for his work in biology and for teaching at the University of Michigan. He studied natural science at the University of Michigan and later became a leading figure there in zoology.

Reighard carried out important research on fishes and other aquatic life, and he also wrote textbooks that introduced generations of students to biology. His career combined field research, laboratory work, and teaching, which made him influential both as a scientist and as an educator.

Today he is remembered as part of an earlier generation of American scientists who helped build zoology into a modern academic discipline. His writing and teaching gave his work a reach beyond the laboratory, making complex natural science easier for readers and students to approach.