Biography.guide
Home › People › Zoologist › Arthur Willey
Portrait of Arthur Willey

Arthur Willey

1867 – 1942

Director of Colombo Museum, Ceylon

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Arthur Willey

Lived 1867 – 1942 (aged 75). Arthur Willey was a British zoologist and naturalist.

Arthur Willey FRS (9 October 1867 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire – 26 December 1942) was a British-Canadian zoologist.

After education at Kingswood School, Bath, he matriculated in 1887 at University College London and graduated there with B.Sc. in 1890.

After returning from the Marine Station (Stazione Zoologica), Naples, he became a fellow at University College London. From 1892 to 1894 he was a biological tutor at Columbia University. From 1894 to 1899 he held the Balfour Studentship of Cambridge, during which he went to the East Indies to investigate the embryology of the pearly nautilus. From 1899 to 1901 he was a lecturer in biology at Guy's Hospital. In 1902 he was elected F.R.S. From 1902 to 1909 he was the director of the Colombo Museum and the editor of Spolia Zeylanica. In 1907 he was a marine biologist for the Ceylon Government. In 1910 he became the Strathcona Professor at McGill University in Montreal and retired there as professor emeritus in 1932. In 1902 in Hendon, Middlesex, he married Emily Constance Bowd, and after his retirement in 1932 they lived in a cottage about an hour's drive from Montreal.

Eponyms Balanoglossus jamaicensis Ramphotyphlops willeyi

Selected publications

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Education
University College London, Christ's College, Kingswood School
Positions held
Museum director
Employers
McGill University

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Arthur Willey's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Arthur Willey?

director of Colombo Museum, Ceylon

When was Arthur Willey born?

Arthur Willey was born on 9 October 1867 in Scarborough.

When did Arthur Willey die?

Arthur Willey died on 26 December 1942 in Montreal.

What was Arthur Willey's occupation?

Arthur Willey was a zoologist and naturalist.

What nationality was Arthur Willey?

Arthur Willey was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Arthur Willey

· Wikidata: Q15987186

· DBpedia: Arthur Willey

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Arthur Willey. https://biography.guide/arthur-willey/

MLA: "Arthur Willey." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/arthur-willey/.

Chicago: "Arthur Willey." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/arthur-willey/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:20 UTC