Thomas Say

Born in Philadelphia in 1787, Thomas Say became one of the most important naturalists in the young United States. He helped found the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in 1812 and became known for close, systematic work on insects, shells, and other animals.

Say took part in major scientific expeditions, including journeys to Florida, Georgia, the Rocky Mountains, and Mexico. Through these travels and his many journal articles, he described large numbers of North American species and built an international reputation for careful observation.

He is often remembered as the father of descriptive entomology in the United States, and he also made major contributions to conchology, the study of shells. Late in life he worked in New Harmony, Indiana, where he continued publishing important books such as American Entomology and American Conchology before his death in 1834.