Charles Henry Turner (zoologist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Henry Turner
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Turner in 1921
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| Born | February 3, 1867 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | February 14, 1923 (aged 56) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Resting place | Lincoln Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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Leontine Troy
(m. 1886; died 1895)
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| Children | 3 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Zoology |
Charles Henry Turner (born February 3, 1867 – died February 14, 1923) was an amazing American scientist. He studied animals (a zoologist), especially insects (an entomologist), and how they think and behave (a comparative psychologist). Turner was famous for his deep studies on the behavior of insects, like bees and ants.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Charles Henry Turner made history several times. He was the first African American to earn a graduate degree from the University of Cincinnati. Later, he became the first African American to get a PhD from the prestigious University of Chicago in 1907. Even though he achieved so much, he spent most of his career teaching science at Sumner High School in St. Louis.
Turner was one of the first scientists to seriously explore if animals, especially tiny creatures like spiders and bees, could think in complex ways. He also looked at how individual animals within the same species could act differently, which was an early step in studying what we now call "animal personality."
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His Early Life and Family
Charles Henry Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 3, 1867. His father, Thomas Turner, worked as a church custodian. His mother, Addie Campbell, was a nurse from Lexington, Kentucky.
In 1886, Charles married Leontine Troy. They had three children: Henry Owen, Louise Mae, and Darwin Romanes. Sadly, Leontine passed away in 1895. Later, in 1907 or 1908, Turner married Lillian Porter. Charles Henry Turner passed away in Chicago on February 14, 1923, at his son Darwin's home. He was buried in Chicago's Lincoln Cemetery. His grandson, Chuck Turner, later became a well-known community organizer and city councilor in Boston.
A Journey of Learning and Discovery
Charles Henry Turner's amazing academic journey began when he graduated at the top of his class (as valedictorian) from Woodward High School in 1886. He then went to the University of Cincinnati, earning his bachelor's degree in biology in 1891. His mentor, Clarence L. Herrick, a pioneer in studying animal behavior, guided him. A summary of his college research on bird brains was even published in the famous journal Science in 1891. This made him the first African American to have his work recognized in such an important scientific publication.
He continued his studies at the University of Cincinnati, earning a master's degree in 1892. After that, he worked as an assistant instructor in the biology lab until 1893. Turner then taught at Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he led the Science Department. Today, a building at Clark Atlanta University, Turner-Tanner Hall, is named in his honor.
In 1906, Turner became the principal of College Hill High School in Cleveland, Tennessee. The next year, in 1907, he took a position teaching biology and chemistry at the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Augusta, Georgia. While teaching, he kept up his passion for studying insect behavior. He also pursued his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, graduating with high honors (magna cum laude) in 1907. He was one of the very first African Americans to earn a doctorate from that university.
From 1908 until his retirement in 1922, Charles Henry Turner taught at Sumner High School. Even though he was a high school teacher, he continued to conduct groundbreaking scientific research.
Unlocking Insect Secrets: Turner's Research
Turner published 49 scientific papers about invertebrates, which are animals without backbones, like insects. Some of his famous studies included "Habits of Mound-Building Ants," "Experiments on the Color Vision of the Honeybee," and "Psychological Notes on the Gallery Spider."
He was the first scientist to systematically study how different individual invertebrates think and behave. For example, he noticed that spider webs were built in unique ways, suggesting that spiders used intelligence, not just instinct. He did most of this research while teaching at Sumner High School, publishing 41 papers during that time.
Turner made several incredible discoveries:
- He was the first to prove that insects can actually hear and tell the difference between different sounds (pitch).
- He discovered that cockroaches can learn through trial and error, just like humans!
- He also found that honeybees can see and recognize visual patterns.
- He tried to show that bees could see colors, but his experiments used red, which bees don't see as a color. However, his work still helped us understand how animals learn by connecting different things.
Turner's approach to studying animals was very advanced for his time. He believed that insects could learn, remember, and even have expectations. Most scientists back then thought insects only reacted to things around them without thinking. This "cognitive view" (thinking about how animals think) became popular much later.
In 1908, he showed that bees remember where their homes are by using landmarks. He observed a bee entering its nest, then built a fake nest nearby with similar surroundings. The bee tried to enter the fake nest, proving it used its memory of the area. He also suggested that invertebrates might have "outcome awareness" after seeing an ant try to build a bridge to safety using various materials.
Much of his important bee research took place at O'Fallon Park in North St. Louis, Missouri.
His Lasting Impact
Beyond his scientific work, Charles Henry Turner was also a champion for his community. He worked hard to improve social and educational services for African Americans in St. Louis, Missouri.
Just two years after he passed away, a school for children with disabilities was founded and named The Charles Henry Turner Open Air School for Crippled Children. It was later renamed Turner Middle School. To honor his contributions to science, the Animal Behavior Society named its program for undergraduate students, which encourages diversity in science, after him.
