Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey
| Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey MA PhD | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Born | 1903 | ||||
| Died | 1972 | ||||
| Residence |
St John’s College, Cambridge Standard Bank of South Africa, Nairobi, Kenya Colony [1937] Coyndon Museum, Nairobi, Kenya Colony, East Africa [1949] | ||||
| Occupation |
paleoanthropologist archaeologist | ||||
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Contents
Notes
Office Notes
RAI Council 1933-34 Member
House Notes
1926.06.22 nominated by A.C. Haddon, seconded by C.H. Wedgwood
1952 Rivers Memorial Medal
Notes From Elsewhere
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey (7 August 1903 – 1 October 1972), also known as L. S. B. Leakey, was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist and archaeologist whose work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa, particularly through discoveries made at Olduvai Gorge with his wife, fellow paleontologist Mary Leakey. He also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there. Having been a prime mover in establishing a tradition of palaeoanthropological inquiry, he was able to motivate the next generation to continue it, notably within his own family, many of whom also became prominent. Leakey participated in national events of British East Africa and Kenya during the 1950s.
In natural philosophy, he asserted Charles Darwin's theory of evolution unswervingly and set about to test Darwin's hypothesis that humans arose in Africa. Leakey was also a devout Christian.[1]
One of Louis's greatest legacies stems from his role in fostering field research of primates in their natural habitats, which he understood as key to unraveling the mysteries of human evolution. He personally chose three female researchers, Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas, calling them The Trimates.[2][3] Each went on to become an important scholar in the field of primatology. Leakey also encouraged and supported many other Ph.D. candidates, most notably from the University of Cambridge.
Publications
External Publications
1931 The Stone Age Culture of Kenya Colony Written in 1929. Illustrated by Frida Leakey. 1934 Adam's Ancestors: The Evolution of Man and His Culture Multiple editions with rewrites, the 4th in 1955. Illustrated by Mary Leakey. Book reviews:[47] 1935 The Stone Age races of Kenya Proposes Homo kanamensis. 1936 Kenya: Contrasts and Problems Written in 1935. 1936 Stone Age Africa: an Outline of Prehistory in Africa Ten chapters consisting of the ten Munro Lectures delivered in 1936 by Louis to Edinburgh University and intended by him as a textbook. Illustrated by Mary Leakey. 1937 White African: an Early Autobiography Louis described it as a "pot-boiler" written in 1936 for Hodder & Stoughton. 1951 The Miocene Hominoidea of East Africa With Wilfrid Le Gros Clark. Volume I of the series Fossil Mammals of Africa published by the Natural History Museum in London. 1951 Olduvai Gorge: A Report on the Evolution of the Hand-Axe Culture in Beds I-IV Started in 1935. Names the Olduwan Culture. 1952 Mau Mau and the Kikuyu Online at[48] Quaestia. 1953 Animals in Africa Photographs by Ylla. 1954 Defeating Mau Mau With Peter Schmidt. Online at[49] Quaestia. 1965 Olduvai Gorge: A Preliminary Report on the Geology and Fauna, 1951-61 Volume 1.[50] 1969 Unveiling Man's Origins With Vanne Morris Goodall. 1969 Animals of East Africa: The Wild realm 1970 Olduvai Gorge, 1965-1967 1974 By the Evidence: Memoirs, 1932-1951 Written in 1972 and published posthumously. Louis finished writing on the day before his death. 1977 The Southern Kikuyu before 1903 Published posthumously. The manuscript remained in Louis' safe for decades for lack of a publisher. It was 3 volumes. He refused to follow editorial advice and shorten it.