George Evelyn Hutchinson. 13 January 1903 — 17 May 1991

Abstract

George Evelyn Hutchinson, born on 13 January 1903 in Cambridge, is considered by many to be the father of modern ecology because he infused the science with theory that was anchored in natural history. When called the father of ecology in 1973 on receiving the very first Tyler Prize, he instantly demurred, saying that credit should go to Darwin and Charles Elton, and further that what he was really proud of was the string of wonderfully bright students who had studied with him. Nonetheless in many senses and to a major extent Hutchinson can be credited with transforming natural history into a science. He spent most of his professional years at Yale and returned to England in 1991 for the last months of his life.