Charles Henry Turner (February 3, 1867 – February 14, 1923) was an American
zoologist,
entomologist, educator, and
comparative psychologist, known for his studies on the behavior of insects, particularly bees and ants. Born in
Cincinnati, Turner was the first
African American to receive a graduate degree at the
University of Cincinnati and among the first African Americans to earn a PhD from the
University of Chicago. He spent most of his career as a high-school teacher at
Sumner High School in St. Louis. Turner was one of the first scientists to systematically examine the question of whether animals display complex cognition, studying
arthropods such as
spiders and
bees. He also examined differences in behavior between individuals within a species, a precursor to the study of
animal personality. This 1921 portrait photograph of Turner is in the collection of
The Crisis, the magazine of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Photograph credit: The Crisis; restored by Adam Cuerden