Richard Leakey

Richard Leakey
FRS
Leakey in 1986
Born
Richard Erskine Frere Leakey

(1944-12-19)19 December 1944
Nairobi, British Kenya
Died2 January 2022(2022-01-02) (aged 77)
Nairobi, Kenya
Spouses
Margaret Cropper
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​
(m. 1965; div. 1969)​
​
​
(m. 1970)​
Children3, including Louise
Parents
AwardsHubbard Medal (1994)
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsStony Brook University

Richard Erskine Frere Leakey FRS (19 December 1944 – 2 January 2022) was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician.[1] Leakey held a number of official positions in Kenya, mostly in institutions of archaeology and wildlife conservation. He was Director of the National Museum of Kenya,[1] founded the NGO WildlifeDirect, and was the chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service.[2] Leakey served in the powerful office of cabinet secretary and head of public service during the tail end of President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi's government.

Leakey co-founded the "Turkana Basin Institute" in an academic partnership with Stony Brook University, where he was an anthropology professor. He served as the chair of the Turkana Basin Institute until his death.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b Smith, Anthony (3 January 2022). "Richard Leakey obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  2. ^ People of the Lake. Anchor Press/Doubleday. January 1978. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Richard Leakey, trailblazing conservationist and fossil hunter, dies at 77". Science. 2 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  4. ^ Lukpat, Alyssa; Chung, Christine (3 January 2022). "Richard Leakey, Kenyan Fossil Hunter and Conservationist, Dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 January 2022.