George Bentham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1800-09-22)22 September 1800 Stoke Damerel, Plymouth, England |
| Died | 10 September 1884(1884-09-10) (aged 83) London, England |
| Spouse | Sarah Jones |
| Awards | Royal Medal of theRoyal Society in 1859 Clarke Medal of theRoyal Society of New South Wales in 1879 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Benth. |
George BenthamCMG FRS FLS (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an Englishbotanist, described by the weed botanistDuane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".[1] Born into a distinguished family, he initially studied law, but had a fascination with botany from an early age, which he soon pursued, becoming president of theLinnaean Society in 1861, and a fellow of theRoyal Society in 1862. He was the author of a number of important botanical works, particularly flora. He is best known for his taxonomicclassification of plants in collaboration withJoseph Dalton Hooker, hisGenera Plantarum (1862–1883). He died in London in 1884.
Bentham was born inStoke, Plymouth, on 22 September 1800.[2][3] His father, SirSamuel Bentham, anaval architect, was the only brother ofJeremy Bentham to survive into adulthood. His mother,Mary Sophia Bentham, was abotanist and author.[a] Bentham had no formal education but had a remarkable linguistic aptitude. By the age of seven, he could speak French, German and Russian, and he learnedSwedish during a short residence in Sweden while still a child. The family made a long tour through France, staying two years atMontauban, where Bentham studiedHebrew and mathematics in the Protestant Theological School. They eventually settled nearMontpellier where Sir Samuel bought a large estate.[5]
While studying atAngoulême, Bentham came across a copy ofA. P. de Candolle'sFlore française, and became interested in the analytical tables for identifying plants. He immediately tested them on the first plant he saw. The result was successful and he applied it to every plant he came across. In London in 1823, he met English botanists. His uncle pushed him to study law atLincoln's Inn. He wascalled to the bar and in 1832 held his first and onlylegal brief.[5]However, his interest in botany never flagged and he became secretary of theHorticultural Society of London from 1829 to 1840.[6]
In 1832, he inherited the property of his uncle,Jeremy Bentham. Having inherited his father's estate the previous year, he was now sufficiently well off to do whatever he wanted, which wasbotany,jurisprudence andlogic.[7]
Bentham married Sarah Jones (1798–1881), daughter ofSir Harford Jones Brydges, on 11 April 1833; they did not have children.[8]
Bentham died at his London home on 10 September 1884, aged 83.[3] He was interred inBrompton Cemetery.
Bentham's life spanned the Darwinian revolution, and his young colleagueJoseph Dalton Hooker wasDarwin's closest friend and one of the first to accept Darwin's ideas. Until then, Bentham unquestioningly believed that species were fixed. In 1874 he wrote that "Fifteen years have sufficed to establish atheory of evolution by natural selection".[9] Bentham's conversion to the new line of thought was complete, and included a change fromtypology in taxonomy to an appreciation that "We cannot form an idea of a species from a single individual, nor of a genus from a single one of its species. We can no more set up a typical species than a typical individual."[10]
Bentham was awarded theRoyal Medal of theRoyal Society in 1859 and elected aFellow in 1862.[11] He served as president of theLinnean Society of London from 1861 to 1874.[12] He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1866.[13] He was appointedCMG (Companion of St Michael & St George) in 1878. His foreign awards included theClarke Medal of theRoyal Society of New South Wales in 1879.
Bentham's first publication was hisCatalogue des plantes indigènes des Pyrénées et du Bas Languedoc (Paris 1826), the result of a careful exploration of thePyrenees in company withG. A. Walker Arnott (1799–1868), afterwards professor of botany in theUniversity of Glasgow. In the catalogue Bentham adopted the principle from which he never deviated, of citing nothing at second-hand. This was followed by articles on various legal subjects: oncodification, in which he disagreed with his uncle, on the laws affecting larceny and on thelaw of real property. But the most remarkable production of this period was theOutline of a New System of Logic: With a Critical Examination of Dr. Whately's Elements of Logic (1827).[14] In this the principle of thequantification of the predicate was first explicitly stated. ThisStanley Jevons declared to be undoubtedly the most fruitful discovery made in abstract logical science since the time ofAristotle. Before sixty copies had been sold the publisher became bankrupt and the stock went for wastepaper. The book passed into oblivion, and it was not until 1873 that Bentham's claims to priority were finally vindicated against those of SirWilliam Hamilton byHerbert Spencer.[15]
In 1836 he published hisLabiatarum genera et species. In preparing this work he visited, between 1830 and 1834, every European herbarium, several more than once. The following winter was passed inVienna, where he produced hisCommentationes de Leguminosarum generibus, published in the annals of the Vienna Museum. In 1842 he moved toPontrilas in Herefordshire. His chief occupation for the next few years was his contributions to theProdromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis, which was being carried on by his friend,A. P. de Candolle. In all these dealt with some 4,730 species.[15]
In 1844, he provided the botanical descriptions forThe Botany of the Voyage of H.M.S. Sulphur.[16] The editor,Richard Brinsley Hinds, had beensurgeon onHMSSulphur 1835-41 while she explored thePacific coast of theAmericas.[17]
In 1854 he found the maintenance of a herbarium and library too expensive. He, therefore, offered them to the government on the understanding that they should form the foundation of such necessary aids to research in theRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew. At the same time, he contemplated the abandonment of botanical work. However, he yielded to the persuasion of SirWilliam Jackson Hooker,John Lindley and other scientific friends. In 1855 he took up his residence in London, and worked at Kew for five days a week, with a brief summer holiday, from this time onwards until the end of his life.[15]
In 1857, the government sanctioned a scheme for the preparation of a series of Floras or descriptions in the English language of the indigenous plants of British colonies and possessions. Bentham began with theFlora Hongkongensis in 1861, which was the first comprehensive work on any part of the little-known flora of China and Hong Kong, includingHong Kong croton. This was followed by theFlora Australiensis, in seven volumes (1863–1878), the first flora of any large continental area that had ever been finished. His greatest work was theGenera Plantarum, begun in 1862, and concluded in 1883 in collaboration withJoseph Dalton Hooker.[18][15] His most famous work, however, was theHandbook of the British flora, begun in 1853 and first published in 1858. This was used by students for over a century, running into many editions. After his death, it was edited by Hooker, and was known simply asBentham & Hooker. He is most famous for his extensive and excellent classification of plants, especially angiosperms, along with Hooker, forming the "Bentham & Hooker system", which was published in three volumes asGenera Plantarum between 1862 and 1883.
The following plants have been named in his honour:
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| Preceded by | President of theLinnean Society 1861–1874 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Clarke Medal 1879 | Succeeded by |
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