Stearns, Robert E. C. (Robert Edwards Carter), 1827-1909

Robert Edwards Carter Stearns was born on February 1, 1827, in Boston, Massachusetts.

He was an American conchologist, editor, and author. A lover of nature since childhood, Stearns concentrated on conchology, mostly mollusks of the West Coast. In 1858, he went to California to become a partner in the large printing establishment of his wife's brother-in-law in San Francisco. They published the Pacific Methodist, a weekly religious paper, and Stern became its editor. In the late 1860s, he participated in the exploration of the invertebrate fauna of southwestern Florida, during which large collections were made for the Smithsonian Institution. He became Secretary of the University of California at Berkeley (1874–1882) and a researcher for the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries (1882-1884). He also served as Assistant Curator of Molluscs at the National Museum of Natural History (1885–1892) and a Paleontologist for the U.S. Geological Survey (1884-1892). He was a member of numerous scientific societies at home and abroad and the Sons of the Revolution.

In 1850, he married Mary Libby (1828–1879). He died on July 27, 1909, in Los Angeles, California.