W. B. (William Blaxland) Benham

Born in Isleworth, Middlesex, on 29 March 1860, William Blaxland Benham studied at Marlborough College and University College London before building his early academic career in Britain. In 1898 he moved to New Zealand to become professor of biology at the University of Otago, where he taught for many years and became one of the country’s best-known scientists.

Benham was a zoologist with wide interests, but he became particularly noted for his studies of earthworms, as well as work on marine life. He also served the scientific community beyond the classroom, including as president of the Otago Institute and later of the New Zealand Institute. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and was awarded the Hector Medal, reflecting the high regard for his research.

He retired in 1937 and died in Dunedin on 21 August 1950. Remembered as a careful observer and energetic teacher, he played an important part in establishing zoology as a serious field of study in New Zealand.