caption death_date death_place birth_place image_size nationality field birth_date image article_title name
charles henry turner aged about 56 february 15 , 1923 chicago cincinnati , ohio 150px united states zoology february 3 , 1867 charles henry turner.jpg charles henry turner -lrb- zoologist -rrb-
 charles henry turner
charles henry turner -lrb- zoologist -rrb-

charles henry turner -lrb- february 3 , 1867 -- february 15 , 1923 -rrb- was an american research biologist , educator , zoologist , and comparative psychologist born in cincinnati , ohio .
in 1892 , turner became the first african american to receive a graduate degree at the university of cincinnati .
in 1907 , he became the first african american to earn a ph.d. from the university of chicago .
despite his doctorate , turner chose to teach at high schools .
most sources attribute this career move to a desire to devote more time to the observation of insects , but charles i. abramson , in his 2003 article on turner for `` american bee journal '' , claims that turner was unable , rather than unwilling , to get an appointment at the university of chicago , and that the tuskegee institute could not afford his salary .
turner published 49 papers on invertebrates , including `` habits of mound-building ants , '' `` experiments on the color vision of the honeybee , '' `` hunting habits of an american sand wasp , '' and `` psychological notes on the gallery spider . ''
in his research , turner became the first person to prove that insects can hear and can distinguish pitch .
in addition , he first discovered that cockroaches can learn by trial and error and that honeybees can see color .
besides his scientific work , turner was active in the struggle to obtain social and educational services for african americans in st. louis , missouri .
after his death , a school for disabled african american children was named in his honor .
he died on february 15 , 1923 from acute myocarditis in chicago .
his place of interment is lincoln cemetery in chicago .
