Benjamin Sharp Papers

Benjamin Sharp Papers

Author: Sharp, Benjamin 1858-1915 author

Year: 1891

Benjamin Sharp (1858-1915), was a zoologist and a professor of invertebrate zoology at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. Born on November 1, 1858 to Quaker parents, Benjamin and Hannah B. Sharp in Germantown, Philadelphia, Sharp earned his A.B. degree from Swarthmore College in 1878. He then went to the University of Pennsylvania where he studied medicine, earning his M.D. in 1879 and his Ph.D. in 1880. His education continued when he traveled to Europe and received another Ph.D. from the University of Wurzburg in Bavaria in 1883. In 1883, Sharp returned to Philadelphia and was offered the position of professor of invertebrate zoology at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. A year later, in 1884, he began teaching the same subject at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as a professor for the rest of his life, working at the University of Pennsylvania until 1896 and at the Academy of Natural Sciences until his death in 1915. From 1890 to 1901, Sharp served as corresponding secretary for the Academy of Natural Sciences. In addition to teaching, Sharp participated in expeditions to the West Indies from 1888 to 1889; to Gr