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FROM: The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol 18, Pg. 398; copyright date & compiler is currently unknown. This article copied from the book at Multnomah County Library of Portland, OR on 2/8/1983. A photo of Howard AYERS was included on page 399, as well as other men.

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AYERS, Howard, educator, was born at Olympia, Wash., May 21, 1861, son of William Norton and Sarah Ann (Sanborn) AYERS. His earliest paternal American ancestor was Capt. John Ayers [AYRES], who came from England in 1648 and settled at Ipswich and Brookfield, Mass. His wife was Susana Symonds, and from them the line of descent is traced through their son Samuel and his wife Abigail Fellows; their son Samuel and his wife Eliner Randall; their son Samuel; his son Asa, to his son William Wail [should be William Wait AYRES] and his wife Lydia Norton, who were the grandparents of our subject.

His father, a banker and merchant, was also prominent in educational affairs. The son attended the University of Michigan and was graduated B.S. at Harvard University in 1883, took postgraduate work at the University of Heidelberg, Strassburg and Freiburg, receiving the degree Ph.D. from the latter institution in 1886. In 1883-86 he studied at the marine laboratories of the university of Vienna, at Trieste, and the University of Paris, at Banyuls-sur-Mer; he received the degree of LL.D. from the University of Missouri in 1899. In 1886 he was instructor in zoology at the University of Michigan, and at Harvard University and Radcliffe College during 1887-88. He was director of the Lake Laboratory, Milwaukee, in 1889-94, and during 1889-98 was instructor in zoology in charge of research work at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. In 1894 he became professor of biology and curator of the biological museum, University of Missouri, continuing five years in that capacity.

In 1899-1904 he was president of the University of Cincinnati, and reorganized that institution. He was past president (1894-99) of the Scientific Association of the University of Missouri; a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; corresponding member of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and he is member also of the American Society of Naturalists, American Morphological society, National Educational Association, and of the Business Men's and Queen's City clubs, Cincinnati.

He is author of numerous works and papers on the morphology of animals; also on education. These include: "The Vertebrate Ear" (1893); "On the Origin of the Internal Ear and the Functions of the Semi-Circular Canals and Cochlea" (1890); "Concerning Vertebrate Cephalogenesis" (1890); "The Ear of Man: Its Past; Its Present and Its Future" (1890); "Some Nerve Muscle Experiments " (1893); "Anatomical Nomenclature" (1893); "Anatomy of the Myxinoids I, The Skeleton" (1901); "The Morphology of the Myxinoidei, Part I: Myology, " and "Cephalogenesis III, Neuropore, Nose, Pypophysis and Mouth" (1914).

He was married July 7, 1886, to Paula F. A. Shafer, of Davenport, Ia.; they have eight children: Mabel Norton AYERS, Ida Cabot AYERS, Paula Lind AYERS, Erna V. L. AYERS, wife of C. W. Snodgrass; Gladys M. AYERS, Sarah A. S. AYERS, Clio R. AYERS, and John H. AYERS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES: Brackets [ ] inserted by Gloria ODOM. The article was printed without any paragraphing. In the last paragraph, the surname AYERS was added by this compiler, to each of the children's names.

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