Charles H. Fernald

Charles Henry Fernald (March 15, 1838 – February 22, 1921) was an American entomologist, geologist, and zoologist, who is credited as the first college professor of economic entomology.[1] Fernald grew up at Fernald Point in Mount Desert, Maine, and went on to prepare for college at Maine Wesleyan Seminary before joining the navy in 1862. After receiving a master's degree from Bowdoin College he went on to serve as principal of several academies in Maine. Throughout his career he would document and describe several species of microlepidoptera and in 1886 became the first full-time professor and chair of the natural sciences at what is now the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[2] Fernald Hall and the Fernald Entomological Society at the same institution, are named for him and his son, Henry Torsey Fernald, who would later hold the same position as his father. His wife, Maria Elizabeth Fernald, was a noted entomologist in her own right.

Charles Henry Fernald
Born	(1838-03-16)March 16, 1838 Mount Desert, Maine, U.S.
Died	February 22, 1921(1921-02-22) (aged 82) Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Bowdoin College University of Maine Anderson School of Natural History
Known for	Work on the eradication of the gypsy moth, first college-level teacher of economic entomology
Spouse	Maria Elizabeth Fernald
Scientific career
Fields	Economic entomology, lepidopterology, geology, natural history
Institutions	University of Maine University of Massachusetts Amherst
Doctoral advisor	Louis Agassiz
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