Albert Gallatin Wetherby was born in August 1833 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He was an educator, malacologist, and mineralogist. When he was young, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he received his education. In 1861, he moved to Cincinnati to take the position of Principal at the Cincinnati Woodward High School. His talent in natural history led to his appointment as Professor of Natural History at the new University of Cincinnati in 1870. Wetherby became President of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History and, he also served as the chair of both Botany and Geology at the University. In 1876, being overworked, he reluctantly resigned. For a while, he served as Professor of Malacology at Harvard University. He later settled in Magnetic City, North Carolina, where he pursued his interest in land snails. In 1886, Wetherby became manager of a large tract of land belonging to the Roan Mountain Steel and Iron Company. He published numerous articles and books on fossils and mollusks.

In 1870, he married Mary Frances Voorhees (1852–1920). He died on March 14, 1902, in Magnetic City, North Carolina.