Sir Richard Owen (1804 -1892) was one of the strongest scientific opponents of Darwinism during the age of Darwin, writing many articles and delivering many lectures against the ideas of natural selection that were gaining currency at the time. Although he was not a Christian in the Biblical sense, he was a strong theist and supported those Christians (e.g., Bishop Wilberforce) who took a stand against Darwinism.

His scientific specialties were zoology, comparative anatomy, and paleontology. For many years he was Superintendent of the Natural History Department of the British Museum. He was the discoverer of the parathyroid glands and the first to describe the giant moas of New Zealand. He also was one of the first of the dinosaur hunters, having the distinction of coining the name dinosaur ("terrible lizard") and preparing the first dinosaur reconstructions for museum display. He also discovered the trichinosis parasite. He researched and wrote extensively on numerous living and extinct animals. At the time of his retirement, in 1884, he was knighted and became Sir Richard Owen.

Excerpted from Men of Science, Men of God by Henry M. Morris. Copyright 1982, 1988 by Henry M. Morris. Used by permission. RETURN TO LIST OF DECEASED INDUCTEES.