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Louis Agassiz Facts & Worksheets

Louis Agassiz was a Swiss-born American geologist and naturalist who is recognized for his significant contributions in natural science.

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Louis Agassiz was a Swiss-born American geologist and naturalist who is recognized for his significant contributions in natural science, particularly to the classification of fish species.

See the fact file below for more information on the Louis Agassiz or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Louis Agassiz worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

  • Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was born on May 28, 1807 in Motier, a village on the shore of Lake Morat in Switzerland.
  • He was the son of Louis Rudolphe, a Protestant pastor, and Rose Mayor, a physician’s daughter.
  • Agassiz grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of the Swiss cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, and Neuchâtel.
  • Louis Agassiz was homeschooled until 1818 when he entered secondary school in Bienne, and later in Lausanne.
  • Agassiz received his higher education at the Universities of Zürich, Heidelberg and Munich.
  • He went on to earn his degree of doctor of philosophy at University of Erlangen, which he received in 1829.
  • While in Erlangen, he published a monograph on the fishes of Brazil which caught the eye of French naturalist and distinguished ichthyologist Georges Cuvier.
  • In 1830, he received his degree of doctor of medicine at University of Munich.

EARLY WORK

  • In 1829, Agassiz published a completed classification of the Brazilian freshwater fish collected in the expedition undertaken by eminent German naturalists Johann Baptist von Spix and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius.
  • The work was entitled Selecta Genera et Species Piscium.
  • The classification of those Brazilian species was started by one of the collectors in 1826, and when he died Agassiz was selected to continue the work.
  • Agassiz would then spend the rest of his life focused on ichthyology classification in his research.
  • His work on Brazilian fish was followed by historical research of fish found in Lake Neuchâtel.
  • In 1830, he presented a prospectus of a History of the Freshwater Fish of Central Europe.
  • The first part of the publication appeared in 1839 and was completed in 1842.
  • In 1832, Agassiz relocated to Paris, the center of scientific research at that time.
  • While in Paris, he came under the tutelage of Georges Cuvier as well as Alexander von Humboldt who helped him get a professorship at the University of Neuchâtel.
  • Humboldt and Cuvier helped Agassiz launch his careers in geology and zoology.
  • Also in 1832, Agassiz married Cécile Braun, the sister of his former classmate Alexander Braun.
  • They had three children.

CLASSIFICATION RESEARCH

  • Agassiz had planned a comprehensive study of the fish fossils found in Glarus, Switzerland and Monte Bolca near Verona, Italy.
  • He gathered material and worked on the study whenever possible.
  • From 1833 to 1843, he released his study in parts and named it Recherches sur les poissons fossiles.
  • Over 1,700 fossil fishes were named in his work.
  • More importantly, his work renewed interest on the study of extinct life.
  • Agassiz went on to publish more monographs on ichthyology, geology, and paleontology.
  • While working as a professor in In Neuchâtel he worked on publishing his works and his home became a workplace with many young men assisting him.
  • From 1842 to 1846, Agassiz issued a catalog with references of all names used in zoological genera and groups, entitled Nomenclator Zoologicus.

GLACIER RESEARCH

  • In 1836 Agassiz began studying the structure and movements of the glaciers of Switzerland.
  • He built a hut on the ice of the Aar Glacier from which he and his team studied the structure and movements of the ice.
  • In 1840, he published his work Études sur les glaciers.

LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES

  • In 1846, Agassiz visited the United States to study natural history and geology and to give lectures at the Lowell Institute in Boston, which was followed by more lectures in different American cities.
  • On the death of his wife in 1847, he accepted a professorship of zoology at Harvard University.
  • In 1850, he married Elizabeth Cabot Cary, a well-known writer and advocate of women’s education.
  • His marriage and love for Elizabeth became his reason to make the United States his permanent residence.
  • During his early years in the United States, he extended his glacial theories to include North America.
  • In 1855, he issued a plan for the publication of a massive ten-volume study, Contributions to the Natural History of the United States, that would cover the entire scope of the American natural environment.
  • Only four volumes of the work had been published; mostly on North American turtles.
  • In 1859, his work Essay on Classification was published.
  • His paper on viviparous surf fishes of California is of utmost significance.
  • Agassiz became a known American opponent of Darwin.
  • By 1873, Agassiz was known as one of the most eminent figures of natural history.
  • In the last year of his life, he established the Anderson School of Natural History on Penikese Island, Massachusetts.
  • At 66 years old, Agassiz died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1873.

Louis Agassiz Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Louis Agassiz across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Louis Agassiz worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Louis Agassiz who was a Swiss-born American geologist and naturalist who is recognized for his significant contributions in natural science, particularly to the classification of fish species.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Louis Agassiz Facts
  • About Agassiz
  • Fish Fossils
  • Research Timeline
  • Vocabulary Match
  • Fact or Fishy
  • Taxonomy Terms
  • According to Agassiz
  • Known Naturalists
  • Concept Map
  • Fish Study

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