Frederick Bayer

Frederick Merkle Bayer (October 31, 1921 – October 2, 2007) was the emeritus curator of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, as well as a prominent marine biologist who specialized in the study of soft corals.

Frederick Bayer was born on Halloween night 1921, in Asbury Park, New Jersey, but spent much of his childhood in south Florida, where he collected seashells and became an amateur naturalist.

Bayer joined the Army Air Forces during World War II and served in the Pacific as a photographic technician. While in the military, he often sketched and collected fish, shells and butterflies throughout the Pacific region.

Bayer received his bachelor's degree from the University of Miami. He continued his studies and obtained a master's degree in taxonomy from George Washington University in 1954. In 1958, he completed a doctorate in taxonomy from George Washington University.

Bayer worked at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History from 1947 until 1961. He returned to work at the museum again from 1975 until 1996. He served as a professor at the University of Miami's marine science school between 1961 and 1975. While at Miami, Bayer participated in a number of soft coral collecting expecitions in the Caribbean Sea and in the waters off West Africa.

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