John Obadiah Westwood (1805 - 1893)

John Obadiah Westwood

John Obadiah Westwood was a British entomologist and archaeologist, artist, and a Fellow of the Linnean Society.

John Westwood was the first Hope Professor at Oxford University, where he held the Chair of Invertebrate Zoology. He made a significant contribution to Australian entomology and wrote a large number of papers between 1835 and 1864.

Westwood was a good illustrator and published several illustrated works on insects and antiquities. He did not travel himself, but described insect species from around the world based on specimens, especially large, outlandish, and colorful ones obtained by naturalists and collectors in England. In 1855 the scientist was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society of London.