Hall, James, Jr.

Hall, James, Jr. (1811–98) geologist, paleontologist; born in Hingham, Mass. Educated at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he became both the leading stratigraphic geologist and invertebrate paleontologist of his day and an unparalleled collector of geological specimens. He published Geology of New York, Part 4 (1843); as New York state paleontologist (1843–98) and director of the New York State Museum (1871–98) he trained many younger paleontologists (including George B. Simpson and Charles Schuchert) and published the 13-volume New York State Natural History Survey: Paleontology (1847–94).