George Hazen French (1841-1934)

Born in Onondaga County, New York, on 19 March 1841, George Hazen French showed an interest and ability in biology long before he came west and accepted a teaching position at the Illinois Agricultural College at Irvington in 1868. By his own confession, until then he "had never seen the inside of a college." He took every opportunity to learn and was awarded honorary degrees (B.S. & M.A.) by the college. In 1877, he came to Carbondale to serve as Assistant State Entomologist, working under Cyrus Thomas in the museum at Southern Illinois Normal College. In 1878, he began teaching for SINC; his subjects were zoology, botany, and physiology. He was appointed Professor of Natural History and Physiology when Cyrus Thomas departed SINC in 1879.


French discovered a new species of shooting star south of Carbondale which botanist George Vasey named Dodecatheon frenchii in his honor. Among French's numerous accomplishments were manuals on butterflies and mushrooms of the region. And following the fire of 1883 that destroyed Southern's main building and museum, French established a more impressive museum mostly of specimens and collections from his own work. Many of these specimens are still used by Department of Zoology students today.

Only a couple of years after he retired, Prof. French's wife Hattie (nee Harriet E. Bingham) died in December 1919; they were married in September 1872. French subsequently moved to Herrin. He served Southern and his scientific profession with distinction for four decades. He died in his 93rd year.

SIUC Department of Zoology

History of Zoology at Southern

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Last updated: 7-Sep-11 / ghw