Charles Wilkins Short (October 6, 1794 – March 7, 1863) was an American

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

. He primarily worked in the state of Kentucky. Short discovered several species of plants and has six species of plants named after him. He attended

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. In addition to being a botanist, he practiced medicine and taught materia medica. Short also owned a sizable

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

. Short retired from teaching in 1849.

Early life and education

Short was born on October 6, 1794, in

Woodford County, Kentucky Woodford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,871. Its county seat is Versailles. The area was home to Pisgah Academy. Woodford County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metrop ...

. His parents were Peyton Short and Maria Symmes Short. Short had four siblings and four half-siblings. Two of his grandparents were John Cleves and Anna Tuthill Symmes. He lived on his father's farm during his early life. Short received his primary education from the well-known teacher Joshua Fry.Gross, p. 6 Short attended

and received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1810 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1813. In 1813, he studied under

Caspar Wistar Caspar Wistar may refer to: * Caspar Wistar (glassmaker) (1696–1752), Pennsylvania glassmaker and landowner * Caspar Wistar (physician) Caspar Wistar (September 13, 1761January 22, 1818) was an American physician and anatomist. He is sometim ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He then attended the

and became a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

in 1815.

Botanical and medical career

Shortly after 1810, Short began practicing medicine under his uncle, Frederick Ridgely. Between 1815 and 1825, Short practiced medicine in Woodford County. Between 1825 and 1837, he was a professor of

medical botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany ...

. In 1838, Short helped establish a medical school in the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

. He was a professor there between 1838 and 1849. Upon retiring, the university's Board of Trustees named him Professor Emeritus of Materia Medica and Medical Botany. Short made a botanical expedition along the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

between March 1845 and April 1845. Short has a total of five species and one genus of plants named after him. They are the genus ''

Shortia ''Shortia'' is a small genus of subshrubs or perennial herbs in the family Diapensiaceae. There are five species, four in Asia and one in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. They are found in mountainous areas, generally from el ...

'', the species ''Vesicaria shortii'', the species ''Phaca shortiana'', the species ''

Symphyotrichum shortii ''Symphyotrichum shortii'' (formerly ''Aster shortii''), commonly called Short's aster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is primarily found in interior areas east of the Mississi ...

'', the species ''

Solidago shortii ''Solidago shortii'', commonly known as Short's goldenrod, is a species of goldenrod in the family Asteraceae. The only known populations of Short's goldenrod occur around the Blue Licks Battlefield State Park area of Kentucky and Harrison-Craw ...

'', and the species ''

Carex shortiana ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex' ...

''. Short was considered to be the most well-known botanist west of the

Alleghenies The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

during the middle of the 19th century. In addition, Short discovered a number of species of plants. These include the Kentucky pearlwort (''

Stellaria fontinalis ''Sabulina fontinalis'', commonly called American water starwort or Kentucky starwort, is a flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is a very rare species, endemic to the Nashville Basin of Tennessee, the Kentucky River Pallisades of K ...

'') and the top-pod water lilly ('' Ludwigia polycarpia''). He also discovered ''Carex shortiana'' and ''Solidago shortii'', which are both named after him. Short's most significant writing related to the field of botany in Kentucky is ''A Catalog of the Native Phaenogamous Plants and Ferns of Kentucky''. The original work was written in 1833, but four additions were written over the next few years. The work describes a total of approximately 1300 species of plant. Short also wrote about plant life specifically in the vicinity of Lexington, Kentucky. This work was written in 1828 and 1829. Another work he wrote was a history of western American botany, in 1836. He had plans to create with

Robert Peter Robert Peter (July 22, 1726 – Nov 15, 1806) was an American politician, merchant, and landowner who served as the first mayor of Georgetown. Early life and family Robert Peter was born on July 22, 1726 in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, ...

and

Henry Griswold Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

an illustrated work describing the plant life of Kentucky, but this was never created. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

in 1855.

Other work

In 1825, Short became chair of Materia Medica and

Medical Botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany ...

at Transylvania University.Gross, p. 9 In 1837, he took the same position at the University of Louisville. Short was an associate editor of the ''Transylvania Journal of Medicine and the Associate Sciences'' between 1828 and 1839. He also co-founded the journal in 1828. Additionally, Short co-wrote the book '' Plants of Kentucky''. Short wrote relatively little during his lifetime. All of his writings combined are less than 300 pages.

Personal life and death

In November 1815, Short married Mary Henry Churchill. He returned to Kentucky shortly afterwards. The couple had several children. Six of them were surviving at Short's death in 1863; one son and five daughters. Short owned a botanical collection with 15,000 plant samples. In his will, he requested that it be donated to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. However, it was given to the

Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natura ...

. An 1865 book said that the botanical collection was one of the most valuable private herbariums in the world. The book also stated that it was one of the most complete herbariums in the United States. Additionally, after retiring, Short owned a

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

that spanned several acres. Short frequently corresponded with his uncle William Short, having written over 500 letters to him by his death.Gross, p. 14 Short was also against

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. In the late 1820s, he inherited a number of slaves from his uncle. Short attempted to relocate the slaves to Africa, but had difficulty doing so. Short was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

for most of his life; from his early childhood until his death.Gross, p. 18 He retired from medical teaching in 1849 and moved to the community of Hayfield. In that year, he also inherited a considerable fortune from his uncle, William Short. Charles Wilkins Short died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

on March 7, 1863.Gross, p. 22

References

Citations

*Samuel David Gross (publisher: Collins, printer) (1865)
Biographical Sketch of Charles Wilkins Short, M.D.: Formerly Professor of Materia Medica and Medical Botany in the University of Louisville, Kentucky

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Short, Charles Wilkins American botanists American Presbyterians Transylvania University alumni Transylvania University faculty 1794 births 1863 deaths Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Woodford County, Kentucky People from Louisville, Kentucky University of Louisville faculty