Goodall, Jane (1934–)

English ethologist and animal-rights activist. Name variations: Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall. Born in London, England, April 3, 1934; dau. of Mortimer Herbert Morris-Goodall and Vanne Joseph Goodall; received PhD in ethology from Cambridge University, 1965; m. Baron Hugo van Lawick (wildlife photographer), 1964 (div. 1974); m. Derek Bryceson, 1975 (died of cancer, 1980); children: (1st m.) Hugo Eric Louis, nicknamed "Grub" (b. 1967).

Ethologist responsible for an increased understanding of the chimpanzee, was raised and educated, mostly in Bournemouth, England (1934–52); worked as a secretary in Oxford and London (1952–57); traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, acquiring position as an assistant secretary to Dr. Louis Leakey (1957–60); researched chimpanzee behavior at Gombe Stream Research Center (1960–71), where, because of her efforts, the refusal to recognize chimpanzees as individuals is no longer dominant—with the preponderance of evidence demonstrating chimpanzees' tool-using capacity, self-recognition in a mirror, and ability to learn and teach each other American Sign Language; lectured at Stanford University and Yale University in US (1970–75); published In the Shadow of Man (Houghton Mifflin, 1971); founded Jane Goodall Institute (1977); published The Chimpanzees of Gombe, her synthesis on chimpanzee behavior (1986); spends much of her time traveling as a goodwill ambassador on behalf of environmentalism, animal rights, and the earth's dwindling population of chimpanzees. Received National Geographic Society's prestigious Hubbard Medal and was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II (1995); received honorary doctorates from such schools as Salisbury State University, University of North Carolina, Munich University, and University of Utrecht.

See also memoir Through a Window: Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1990) and (with Phillip Berman) Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey (Warner, 1999); and Women in World History.