Alice Jean McQueen (1899–1909) Helen Sherman (1918–1946)
Parent(s)
Almer Sexton Harper Eunice Thompson
Robert Almer Harper (January 21, 1862 – May 12, 1946) was an American botanist.
The younger brother of Edward Thompson Harper,[1] Robert was born inLe Claire, Iowa to Congressional Minister Almer Harper and Eunice Thompson.[2] The family moved toPort Byron, Illinois in 1863, where Robert attended local schools.[3] He matriculated toOberlin College, his father's alma mater,[3] where he graduated with a A. B. in 1886.[2] During the Fall of 1886 he performed graduate studies atJohns Hopkins University,[3] then he was professor of Greek and Latin at Gates College inNeligh, Nebraska during 1886–88.[4]
In 1889–91 he was an instructor at theLake Forest Academy.[2][3] After receiving his A. M. degree from Oberlin, he was appointed professor of botany and geology in 1891–98 atLake Forest University.[1] During the period 1894 to 1896, took a sabbatical to attend graduate school at theUniversity of Bonn in Germany[5] where he studied cytology and mycology;[3] he was awarded a Ph.D. in 1896.[2]
A member of theTorrey Botanical Club since 1911, he was named president during 1914–16.[3] He served as president of theBotanical Society of America in 1916.[8] Harper remarried in 1918 to Helen Sherman;[5] they had one son, who became a farmer inBedford, Virginia. Beginning in 1918, he served as head of the board of scientific directors for theNew York Botanical Garden.[4] He was named professor emeritus in 1930, then in 1938 he retired to a farm in Bedford.[3][5] During his career he was awarded honorary doctorates from Columbia University and theUniversity of Pennsylvania.[3]
