Frederic Brewster Loomis

Frederic Brewster Loomis (November 22, 1873 – July 28, 1937) was an American paleontologist. Educated at Amherst College and LMU Munich, he spent his entire professional career at Amherst. His specialty was vertebrate paleontology. Many fossils he uncovered during his extensive field work are still exhibited at Amherst's Beneski Museum of Natural History. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a fellow of the Geological Society of America, and president of the Paleontological Society.

Early life and education

Loomis was born November 22, 1873, in Brooklyn, New York, to Julie R. Loomis (née Brewster) and Nathaniel H. Loomis, a businessman who ran produce warehouses in New York City. In March 1877 his father died of rabies contracted from a dog bite. The family later moved to Rochester, New York, where he attended Rochester Free Academy and then Canandaigua Academy, Loomis's interest in paleontology dates from this period, when we spent his spare time collecting invertebrate fossils. Loomis regarded the museum as his finest accomplishment,

He was elected a fellow of the Geological Society of America in 1909 and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1917. He was also active in the Paleontological Society, serving as its President in 1920.

Death

On July 28, 1937, while fishing with his wife, Florence (Calhoun) Loomis, and sons off the coast of Sitka, Alaska, Loomis suffered a brain hemorrhage and died. He was buried a little more than a week later at Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst, Massachusetts.