Charles Edwin Bessey
Encyclopedia
Charles Edwin Bessey was an American
botanist
.
. He graduated in 1869 at the Michigan Agricultural College
. Bessey also studied at Harvard University
under Asa Gray
, in 1872 and in 1875–76. He was professor
of botany at the Iowa Agricultural College
from 1870 to 1884. In 1884, he was appointed professor of botany at the University of Nebraska
and became head dean
there in 1909. He also served as Chancellor of the University of Nebraska from 1888 to 1891 and again from 1899 to 1900. He served as president
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
in 1911.
s taxa, with focus on the evolutionary divergence of primitive forms, is considered by many as the system most likely to form the basis of a modern, comprehensive taxonomy of the plant kingdom.
In 2009 he was inducted to the Nebraska Hall of Fame
.
was Professor of Mycology and Botany at Michigan State University
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
.
Biography
He was born at Milton, Wayne County, OhioWayne County, Ohio
Wayne County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, and is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. As of the 2010 census, the population was 114,520. Its county seat is Wooster....
. He graduated in 1869 at the Michigan Agricultural College
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. Bessey also studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
under Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
, in 1872 and in 1875–76. He was professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of botany at the Iowa Agricultural College
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
from 1870 to 1884. In 1884, he was appointed professor of botany at the University of Nebraska
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
and became head dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
there in 1909. He also served as Chancellor of the University of Nebraska from 1888 to 1891 and again from 1899 to 1900. He served as president
President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science , founded in 1848, is the world's largest general scientific society. It serves 262 affiliated societies and academies of science and engineering, representing 10 million individuals worldwide...
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in 1911.
Works
- The Geography of Iowa (Cincinnati, 1878)
- Botany for High Schools and Colleges (New York, 1880)
- revision of McNabWilliam Ramsay McNab-Family:Only son of James McNab , curator of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, a position previously held by his father, William McNab.-Career:...
's Botany (1881) - The Essentials of Botany (1884)
- Elementary Botany (1904)
- Plant Migration Studies (1905)
- Synopsis of Plant Phyla (1907)
- Outlines of Plant Phyla (1909)
- written with others, New Elementary AgricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
(ninth edition, 1911)
Legacy
His arrangement of flowering plantFlowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s taxa, with focus on the evolutionary divergence of primitive forms, is considered by many as the system most likely to form the basis of a modern, comprehensive taxonomy of the plant kingdom.
In 2009 he was inducted to the Nebraska Hall of Fame
Nebraska Hall of Fame
Nebraska Hall of Fame is an official list of prominent Nebraskans compiled in accordance to state law. Members include:*Grace Abbott -- social reformer and social worker....
.
Family
Bessey's son, Ernst BesseyErnst Bessey
Ernst Athearn Bessey was an American mycologist, botanist and plant pathologist who served Professor of Mycology and Botany and Dean of the Graduate School at Michigan State University. He was the son of another famous botanist, Charles Edwin Bessey.Bessey was born in Ames, Iowa, where his father...
was Professor of Mycology and Botany at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
.
See also
- Bessey systemBessey systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Bessey system was published inBessey considered Spermatophyta as having a polyphyletic origin, being composed by three different phyla, of which he only treated Anthophyta ....
, his taxonomicTaxonomyTaxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
plant system. - Nebraska National ForestNebraska National ForestThe Nebraska National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The total area of the national forest is ....
Further reading
- Overfield, Richard A. Science With Practice: Charles E. Bessey and the Maturing of American Botany. Iowa State University Press Series in the History of Technology and Science. Iowa State Press, 1993. (ISBN 0-8138-1822-2)
- Pool, Raymond J. A brief sketch of the life and work of Charles Edwin Bessey. Botanical Society of America, 1915.
- Tobey, Ronald C. 1981. Saving the Prairies: The Life Cycle of the Founding School of American Plant Ecology, 1895-1955. Berkeley: University of California Press. (ISBN 0-5200-4352-9)
External links
- Charles Bessey papers at the Iowa State UniversityIowa State UniversityIowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
Library. Retrieved on July 10, 2009. - Charles Bessey papers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved on October 13, 2009.