Famous / infamous / interesting Guppys of the past

R. J. Lechmere Guppy, (1836-1916) the person responsible for the name of the fish, was a naturalist of wide-ranging interests who lived in Trinidad for the majority of his adult life. While his occupation was Chief Inspector of Schools (and no, he was NOT a chergyman, in spite of all the people who think otherwise -- in fact he was an agnostic), his love was the natural world.

To quote his son: "My father," Mr. [Plantagenet] Guppy [said], "was never particularly interested in fish. Primarily he was a geologist and a conchologist, and he wrote some 30 papers on the shells and fossils of Trinidad and the West Indies. His work as a civil engineer and in the Colonial Secretaries Office and as Chief Inspector of Schools took him all over Trinidad. He used to drive around in a two-wheeler and I suppose business was not as pressing in those days as it is now, because he always had time to stop and chip out fossils or scoop a few fish."
-- The Story of the Guppys by the New York Correspondent of the Trinidad Guardian, about 1934

Henry Brougham Guppy, (b. 1854) was a naval surgeon and distinguished naturalist and writer. Amongst family history researchers, he is best known for his book Homes of Family Names in Great Britain, published in 1890.

Frederick Edward Guppy, (1878-1949) was born in Portishead, Somersetshire, England, and became a well known Canadian pioneer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He was prominent in civic life including two stints as city councillor. There is a Guppy Street in Saskatoon named after Fred and his family.