Edward Drinker Cope

Also known as Cope, E. D. Cope, Edward Cope, Edw. D. Cope

American paleontologist, geologist, and biologist (1840–1897)

Key facts

Born: ( 1840-07-28 ) July 28, 1840, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , U.S.
Died: April 12, 1897 (1897-04-12) (aged 56), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education: University of Pennsylvania
Known for: Bone Wars
Spouse: Annie Pim ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1865 )
Children: Julia Biddle Cope
Awards: Bigsby Medal (1879) Hayden Memorial Geological Award (1891)
Fields: Paleontology , zoology , herpetology
Institutions: United States Geological Survey Haverford College University of Pennsylvania

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: United States
Place of birth: Philadelphia
Place of death: Philadelphia
Occupation: botanical collector
Employer: University of Pennsylvania
Languages spoken: English language
Religion: Quakers
Doctoral student: Henry Fairfield Osborn
Field of work: paleontology
Image: Cope Edward Drinker 1840-1897.png

Show 11 more facts

cause of death: acute kidney injury
Commons category: Edward Drinker Cope
name in native language: Edward Drinker Соре
date of birth: 1840-07-28
date of death: 1897-04-12
author citation (zoology): Cope
manner of death: natural causes
member of: American Philosophical Society
writing language: English language
P6944: Edward Drinker Cope
contributed to creative work: Popular Science

Sources (4)

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Encyclopedic overview

Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, he distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science, publishing his first scientific paper at the age of 19. Though his father tried to raise Cope as a gentleman farmer, he eventually acquiesced to his son's scientific aspirations.

Cope had little formal scientific training, and he eschewed a teaching position for field work. He made regular trips to the American West, prospecting in the 1870s and 1880s, often as a member of U.S. Geological Survey teams. A personal feud between Cope and paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh led to a period of intense fossil-finding competition now known as the Bone Wars. Cope's financial fortunes soured after failed mining ventures in the 1880s, forcing him to sell off much of his fossil collection. He experienced a resurgence in his career toward the end of his life before dying on April 12, 1897.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Edward Drinker Cope” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.