Background
Laurence Monroe Klauber was the foremost authority on rattlesnakes in the 20th century. Born on December 21, 1883 in San Diego,
California, Klauber received his A.B. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1908. He married Grace
Gould in 1910. He worked for the San Diego Gas and Electric Company from 1910 until his retirement as President and Chairman
of the Board in 1953. He served as consulting curator of reptiles for the San Diego Zoo from 1923 and in 1956 published his
comprehensive two-volume study Rattlesnakes: Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. He donated approximately 36,000 herpetological specimens to the San Diego Natural History Museum, including a rattlesnake
collection of over 8,600 specimens. After his death, his extensive personal library and field notes were donated to the San
Diego Natural History Museum Research Library. Klauber died on May 8, 1968 in San Diego.