Gustav Arthur Cooper (February 9, 1902 – October 17, 2000)''Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014''.

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...

. was an American

paleobiologist Paleobiology (or palaeobiology) is an interdisciplinary field that combines the methods and findings found in both the earth sciences and the life sciences. An investigator in this field is known as a paleobiologist. Paleobiology is closely rel ...

. Cooper was born in

College Point, Queens College Point is a working-middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Whitestone Expressway and Flushing; to the east by 138th Street and Malba/ Whitestone; to the north by the East River; ...

, and attended

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

. He graduated in 1924, staying on to receive a master's degree in 1926. He then attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he received his PhD in 1929. His dissertation was titled, "Stratigraphy of the Hamilton Group of New York." He met his future wife, Josephine Wells, while they were both studying geology at Yale. They married in 1930 and moved to Washington, D.C. In 1930, he got a job as assistant curator at the Division of Stratigraphic Paleontology in

United States National Museum The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

. He was promoted to a curator position in 1944 for the Division of Invertebrate Paleontology. In 1957, he became the head curator of the Department of Geology, and 6 years later became the chairman of the newly formed Department of Paleobiology. He became senior paleobiologist in 1967, after which he devoted his life to research. He retired in 1974 with paleobiologist emeritus title. He died in 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, G. Arthur 1902 births 2000 deaths Scientists from Queens, New York Paleobiologists Penrose Medal winners Colgate University alumni Yale University alumni