Waterhouse, Frederick George   (1815 - 1898)

Born 25 August 1815, London, Middlesex, England; died 7 September 1898, Manna Hill, South Australia.

He worked at the British Museum with his elder brother George, an eminent entomologist and zoologist. On 7 July 1852 he married Fanny Shepherd Abbott (d.1875) of London and soon sailed for South Australia in the Sydney.

He made an unsuccessful visit to the Victorian goldfields and worked with C. T. Hargrave surveying the Adelaide hills. In October 1860 he became curator of the South Australian Institute Museum which opened in January 1862.

On 5 December 1861 Waterhouse accompanied John McDouall Stuart on his expedition across the continent. His enthusiasm and scientific zeal irritated Stuart but other members of the group found him congenial and praised his unselfishness.

He returned to Adelaide on 21 January 1863 with a fine series of bird and mammal skins, insects and plants.

Waterhouse was one of the foremost naturalists of his era; he gained much repute for his 'labour of love' in building up the early collections at the South Australian Museum.

In February 1882 Waterhouse resigned and took eight months leave in England; he returned to live at Wandeen, Burnside, until 1897 when he moved to Jamestown to live with a son Edward George. He died of senile decay at Mannahill on 7 September 1898.

Source: Extracted from:
D.N. Kraehenbuehl (1976) https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/waterhouse-frederick-george-4805
Portrait Photo: Extracted from: Stump & Co., State Library of South Australia, SLSA: B 3623.

Collecting localities for 'Waterhouse, F.G.' from AVH (2022)

Data from 191 specimens