Ralph H. Wetmore
Ralph Hartley Wetmore (born April 27, 1892 in Yarmouth , Nova Scotia , † April 28, 1989 in Boxford , Massachusetts ) was a Canadian - American botanist and developmental biologist who has made a contribution to the study of plant anatomy and plant physiology .
Life
After graduating from school at the age of 16, Wetmore first worked as a teacher in a village school, then after obtaining a state license for a few years as a teacher in Milton , Nova Scotia. After military service in World War I , where he was deferred from combat missions due to color blindness and varicosis , Wetmore studied at Acadia University in Wolfville . Here he earned a bachelor's degree in 1921 and a Ph.D. in 1924 with Edward Charles Jeffrey at Harvard University. in botany (evolutionary plant morphology and anatomy).
In 1925 Wetmore accepted an assistant professorship at Acadia University, in 1926 at Harvard University. Here he took over the management of the botanical laboratories in 1930, until they were merged into laboratories for the entire biology department in 1934. After being freed from administrative tasks, Wetmore was able to devote more time to research, including with Irving Widmer Bailey from the Arnold Arboretum on the anatomy of wood and its importance for evolutionary origins and taxonomic relationships. Overall, he dealt primarily with the developmental biologist of plants and plant embryogenesis and was considered a pioneer of experimental plant morphogenesis . For example, he conducted experiments on apical dominance , the role of auxins (with Kenneth V. Thimann ) and the development of plant parts under cell culture conditions .
His students included Winslow R. Briggs and Ian M. Sussex . Wetmore retired in 1962, but remained scientifically active and published until 1974.
Wetmore was married to Marion G. Silver since 1923, who died of an infectious disease in 1935. The couple had two children. In 1940, Ralph Wetmore married the English teacher and later dean of Radcliffe College , Olive Smith († 1982).
Awards (selection)
- 1927 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- 1932 member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1948 Honorary Doctorate from Acadia University
- 1953 President of the Botanical Society of America
- 1954 member of the National Academy of Sciences
- Member of the New York Academy of Sciences
Web links
- Life data, publications and academic family tree of Ralph H. Wetmore at academictree.org
literature
- John G. Torrey, Kenneth V. Thimann: On the Beginnings of Modern Studies of Plant Morphogenesis: A Tribute to Ralph H. Wetmore's Contributions. In: Botanical Gazette. 133, 1972, p. 199, doi : 10.1086 / 336634 .
- John G. Torrey: Ralph H. Wetmore, 1892–1989 (PDF, 881 kB). In: Biographical Memoirs. National Academy of Sciences , 1994.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter W. (PDF; 852 kB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Retrieved June 30, 2019 .
- ↑ Ralph H. Wetmore. In: nasonline.org. National Academy of Sciences , accessed June 30, 2019 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wetmore, Ralph H. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wetmore, Ralph Hartley |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American botanist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 27, 1892 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Yarmouth , Nova Scotia |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 28, 1989 |
| Place of death | Boxford , Massachusetts |