Alfred Gibbs Bourne | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 8 August 1859 |
| Died | 14 July 1940 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Zoology,Botany |
| Institutions | Presidency College, Madras Indian Institute of Science |
Sir Alfred Gibbs BourneKCIE FRS FLSDSc[1] (8 August 1859,Lowestoft – 14 July 1940,Dartmouth, Devon) was an Englishzoologist,botanist andeducator who worked in India.
Bourne was the son of Rev. Alfred Bourne, secretary of the British Foreign School Society, and he joined theUniversity College School after a liberal home education. Along with his contemporary Sydney J. Hickson, he was fascinated by the lectures ofRay Lankester. He later joined theUniversity College in 1876 and attended theRoyal School of Mines. In 1886, he went to Madras to join thePresidency College as Professor of Biology. He held this position until 1898 although he also held the positions of Registrar and Superintendent of the MadrasGovernment Museum.
He was elected aFellow of the Royal Society in 1895.[1][2]
In 1903 he was made Director of Public Instruction and he worked on changes in thesecondary education system, being responsible for the introduction of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate System. After his retirement, he took charge as director of theIndian Institute of Science, holding this position from 1915 to 1921. He was knighted as aKnight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1913.[3]
He married Emily Tree Glaisher (or Glashier in some sources) in 1888. Lady Bourne (died 18 September 1954[4]) was an acclaimed botanical artist and she teamed up with other artists atKodaikanal to produce illustrations of the local flora. These illustrations were used inThe Flora of theNilgiri and Pulney Hill-tops byPhilip Furley Fyson. A daughter married Stephen Cox of the Indian Forest Service.[5]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
