Louis Leakey

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Louis Leakey
Louis Leakey with his wife Mary in 1962
Born	Louis Seymour Bazet Leakey (1903-08-07)7 August 1903 Kabete, East Africa Protectorate
Died	1 October 1972(1972-10-01) (aged 69) London, England
Nationality	Kenyan, British
Known for	Pioneering the study of human evolution in Africa
Spouses	Frida Avern ​ ​ (m. 1928; div. 1936)​ Mary Leakey ​ (m. 1936)​
Children	5, including Colin Leakey Richard Leakey Philip Leakey
Awards	Hubbard Medal (1962) Royal Geographical Society's Founder's Medal (1968) Prestwich Medal (1969)
Scientific career
Fields	Archaeology, paleoanthropology, paleontology

Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey (7 August 1903 – 1 October 1972) was a Kenyan-British palaeoanthropologist and archaeologist whose work was important in demonstrating that humans evolved in Africa, particularly through discoveries made at Olduvai Gorge with his wife, fellow palaeoanthropologist Mary Leakey. Having established a programme of palaeoanthropological inquiry in eastern Africa, he also motivated many future generations to continue this scholarly work. Several members of the Leakey family became prominent scholars themselves.^[1]

Another of Leakey's legacies stems from his role in fostering field research of primates in their natural habitats, which he saw as key to understanding human evolution. He personally focused on three female researchers, Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas, calling them "The Trimates."^[2][3] Each went on to become an important scholar in the field of primatology. Leakey also encouraged and supported many other PhD candidates, most notably from the University of Cambridge. As well, Leakey played a role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there.