![Bussey-Institute-Harvard-University](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Bussey-Institute-Harvard-University.jpg)
The Bussey Institute (1883–1936) was a respected biological institute at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. It was named for
Benjamin Bussey
Benjamin Bussey (17571842) was a prosperous merchant, farmer, horticulturalist and patriot in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, who made significant contributions to the creation of the Arnold Arboretum. He was said to be "a man of exce ...
, who, in 1835, endowed the establishment of an undergraduate school of agriculture and horticulture and donated land in
Jamaica Plain
Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commun ...
,
that became the
Arnold Arboretum
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is a botanical research institution and free public park, located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1872, it is the oldest public arboretum in N ...
. Bussey, a silversmith, had bought the land from the
Weld family in 1806, and built a mansion in 1815. When he died, he left to Harvard. By 1871 the Bussey Institute had been built.
Notable alumni
James Drummond Dole
James Drummond Dole (September 27, 1877 – May 20, 1958), also known as the "Pineapple King", was an American industrialist who developed the pineapple industry in Hawaii. He established the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (HAPCO) which was later r ...
obtained a bachelor in agriculture at the Bussey Institute before moving to Hawaii and developing pineapple production and the canning industry there.
Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Charles Kinsey (; June 23, 1894 – August 25, 1956) was an American sexologist, biologist, and professor of entomology and zoology who, in 1947, founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Instit ...
, an American biologist who became famous for his work on
human sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
, studied at the Bussey Institute under famed entomologist
William Morton Wheeler
William Morton Wheeler (March 19, 1865 – April 19, 1937) was an American entomologist, myrmecologist and Harvard professor.
Biography Early life and education
William Morton Wheeler was born on March 19, 1865, to parents Julius Morton Wheeler ...
.
Edward Murray East
Edward Murray East (October 4, 1879 – November 9, 1938) was an American plant geneticist, botanist, agronomist and eugenicist. He is known for his experiments that led to the development of hybrid corn and his support of 'forced' eliminati ...
, a pioneer in plant genetics, also worked there when he studied Mendelian inheritance.
The geneticist
William E. Castle worked there from 1908 until it closed in 1936, first on the genetics of fruit flies and also on hooded rats, studying basic evolution.
References
External links
Records of the Bussey Institute
1883 establishments in Massachusetts
Harvard University
Arnold Arboretum
1994 disestablishments in Massachusetts
Defunct private universities and colleges in Massachusetts
{{Harvard-university-stub