George and Elizabeth Peckham facts for kids
George Williams Peckham (born March 23, 1845 – died January 10, 1914) and Elizabeth Maria Gifford Peckham (born December 19, 1854 – died February 11, 1940) were a married couple from America. They were important teachers and scientists. They studied how animals behave (this is called ethology). They were especially interested in jumping spiders and wasps. They also helped to classify and name different types of animals, which is part of taxonomy.
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Lives and Careers
George Peckham was born in Albany, New York in 1845. When he was 18, he joined the U.S. Army and fought in the American Civil War. After the war, he went back to school. He first earned a law degree, then a medical degree. But instead of practicing law or medicine, he decided to teach biology at a high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In 1880, George started the first biology lab program for high school students in America. That same year, he married Elizabeth Maria Gifford. She was also a teacher and one of the first science graduates from Vassar College. George later became a high school principal and then worked for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. He also led the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. From 1897 until he retired in 1910, he was the director of the Milwaukee Public Library. George died in 1914 when he was 68 years old.
Elizabeth Maria Gifford was born in Milwaukee in 1854. Her friends called her 'Bessie'. She graduated from Vassar College in 1876 and later earned her master's degree in Biology there. Elizabeth was very active in the women's suffrage movement. This movement worked to help women get the right to vote. She was recognized for her "distinguished service" in this effort. She also worked as one of the first librarians in Milwaukee. After her husband George died in 1914, she continued her scientific work. She earned a PhD from Cornell University in 1916. Elizabeth Peckham died in 1940 at the age of 85.
Family Life
George W. Peckham and Elizabeth Maria Gifford got married in 1880. Their daughter, Mary Peckham Gross, later wrote that her parents had "one of those perfect marriages of minds as well as hearts." This shows how well they worked together and how much they cared for each other.
Natural Science Studies
The Peckhams were a great team in science. They helped bring Darwin's ideas about evolution into high school education. They started studying the taxonomy and behavior of jumping spiders. These spiders are known for their excellent eyesight. The Peckhams were among the first scientists to realize how important animal behavior is for classifying different species.
In the late 1880s, they published important studies on sexual selection. This is about how animals choose their mates. Their work supported Darwin's ideas about courtship behavior. In 1898, they wrote a famous book called On the Instincts and Habits of the Solitary Wasps. This book was praised for its writing style and its scientific research. Unlike some other scientists, the Peckhams showed that even insect behaviors change over time through natural selection. They published an updated version of their wasp book in 1905.
The Peckhams worked together their whole lives as researchers and teachers. Between 1883 and 1909, they described 63 new groups (genera) and 366 new species of animals. The North American Peckham Society is named after them. This group focuses on studying jumping spiders. They publish a journal called Peckhamia.
Travels and Research
The Peckhams traveled to different places to study spiders and wasps. Before 1885, they spent time in Guatemala and Honduras. They collected many spiders there for their research. In 1912, Elizabeth and George also spent a winter in Mexico.
Animals Named After the Peckhams
Many animals have been named in honor of the Peckhams. The jumping spider group Peckhamia is named after them. Also, at least 20 species and one subspecies of spiders and insects are named after them, including:
- Cicurina peckhami
- Acragas peckhami
- Bellota peckhami
- Chapoda peckhami
- Compsodecta peckhami
- Corythalia peckhami
- Goleta peckhami
- Habrocestum peckhami
- Habronattus peckhami
- Hasarius peckhami
- Heliophanus peckhami
- Hyllus brevitarsis peckhamorum
- Myrmarachne peckhami
- Pachomius peckhamorum
- Pelegrina peckhamorum
- Pensacola peckhami
- Salticus peckhamae
- Telamonia peckhami
- Thiodina peckhami
- Uroballus peckhami
- Viciria peckhamorum
Tributes
Besides having animals named after them, a junior high school in Milwaukee was named Peckham Junior High School in 1929. The school's name was later changed in the 1970s to honor Jackie Robinson. It closed in 2005.
