| Activity | During his lifetime Jordan was the dean of American ichthyologists, both through his own studies and the influence of his many students. He was also an educator of high standing--functioning among other roles as President both of Indiana University and of Stanford University--and a notable peace advocate and spokesperson. As an ichthyologist he involved himself in many taxonomic projects covering faunas ranging across the North American continent, and provided a philosophical context by supporting the Darwinian understanding of evolution. Over 1,000 genera and 2,500 species of fishes were named as a direct result of his activities. Jordan was a founding member of the Sierra Club. "Jordan's Law" in biogeography states that populations of most-closely-related species are separated from one another by physical barriers.
A graduate of Cornell University, From 1872 - 3 he taught natural sciences at Lombard College. From 1873 - 4 he was principal at Appleton Collegiate Institute and from 1874 - 5 he was a science teacher at Indianapolis High School. From 1875 - 1879 he was professor of natural history at Butler University. From 1877 - 81 and 1894 - 1909 he was cooperating assistant with the US fish commission. In 1879 he was made professor of natural history at Indiana University and from 1885 - 1891 he was president of Indiana University. From 1885 - 6 he was also president of the Indiana Academy of Science. From 1891 - 1913 he was president of Stanford University. From 1896 - 1904 and 1908 - 1912 he was president of the California Academy of Sciences. From 1904 - 1931 he was a member of the International Comission of Zoological Nomenclature. From 1909 - 10 he was president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. From 1910 - 1914 he was chairman of the World Peace Foundation. |