Henry Shimer

Henry Shimer (September 21, 1828 – July 28, 1895) was a naturalist and physician in Mount Carroll, Illinois. He was also a teacher at the Mount Carroll Seminary, which later became Shimer College; he was the husband of the seminary's founder, Frances Shimer.

On July 28, 1895, or by hanging. He worked as a stone mason in his youth and took up teaching at the age of 18.

In March 1854, Shimer left Pennsylvania and traveled west to Mount Carroll, Illinois after a failed love affair.

Marriage On December 22, 1857, Shimer and Frances Ann Wood, the co-principal of the Mount Carroll Seminary, were married.

Vocations Shimer subsequently left for Chicago to study medicine. He graduated from the Chicago Medical College on March 1, 1866. He also served for a time as the assistant State Entomologist of Illinois. In addition, he was an expert taxidermist, and had a collection of over 1000 mounted birds. His collections were provided to the seminary for educational purposes.

In the 1880s, Shimer became wealthy by speculating on real estate in Iowa, allegedly inspired by a dream. At the time of his death his estate was worth approximately $200,000.

Travels Shimer traveled widely within the United States, stopping along the way to work as a stone mason. He sometimes covered more than a thousand miles on foot. He is said to have worn boots at all times.

Death On July 28, 1895, Henry Shimer committed suicide, he was found hanging with a revolver nearby with one chamber having been fired. He had amended his will five days previously to leave his entire fortune to his wife, leaving his mother and sister destitute. In a highly publicized trial, the will was successfully contested.

Published works

1865, "Description of the Imago and Larva of a New Species of Chrysopa", Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia 1867, "Description of a New Species of Aleyrodes", Transactions of the American Entomological Society 1867, "Description of a New Species of Cecidomyia", Transactions of the American Entomological Society 1867, "On a New Genus of Aphidae", Transactions of the American Entomological Society 1867, "Notes on the Apple Bark Louse (Lepidosaphes conchiformis), with a Description of a supposed new Acarus" 1867, "Notes on Micropus (Lygarus) leucopterus Say ('The chinch bug')", Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1867, "Additional Note on the Chinch-Bug", Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1867, "On a new genus in Homoptera (Section Monomera)", Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1868, "Descriptions of two Acarians bred from White Maple", Transactions of the American Entomological Society 1868, "Notes on Chermes pinicorticis (white pine louse)", Transactions of the American Entomological Society 1868, "A Summer's Study of the Hickory Galls, with Descriptions of supposed New Species bred therefrom", Transactions of the American Entomological Society 1868, "The Wavy-Striped Flea Beetle", The American Naturalist 1869, "Insects Injurious to the Potato", The American Naturalist 1872, "Additional Notes on the Striped Squash Beetle", The American Naturalist 1891, "Consciousness in Protoplasm", The Microscope