Ellen Louella (Nellie) Powell Thompson (1840–1911) was an American naturalist and botanist, and an active advocate for women's suffrage.

Life

Ellen Louella (Nellie) Powell Thompson was born in Ohio to parents of English origin. Her siblings included

John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...

, best known for explorations of the American West and leadership of the early

US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...

. Another brother was William P Powell, superintendent of Washington DC public schools. She had several sisters, one of whom was the wife of Congressman Davis of Kansas, and mother of

Arthur Powell Davis Arthur Powell Davis (February 9, 1861 – August 7, 1933) was an American Hydrography, hydrographer, engineer, geographer, topographer and nephew of John Wesley Powell. He was born on February 9, 1861, in Decatur, Illinois and received his Civil E ...

, scientist.Helen H. Tindall, "Ellen Powell Thompson" in ''The Woman's Journal'' (Boston, MA, United States), Saturday, April 1, 1911, Vol. XLII, Issue 13, p.99 In the mid-1850s, Thompson attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. She taught school from the age of 16."District Representative" in ''Evening Star'' (Washington, District of Columbia), February 16, 1898, p 7. On July 8, 1862 in Wheaton, Illinois, she married professor and geographer Almon Harris Thompson, a colleague and friend of her brother John. After the wedding, Thompson continued her work as a teacher, and took her husband's position as superintendent of schools when he entered the army. She spent her 1863 summer vacation at Cairo, Illinois, caring for sick and wounded soldiers from the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Thompson accompanied her husband on expeditions to map the western United States. During this period, she made friends with members of a number of Indian tribes, learning the language of the "Pah Utes" and studying their customs. Thompson was a founding member of the Women's Anthropological Society of America, Washington DC. The Thompsons had no children. Thompson died of heart failure, at home while "engaged in household duties", on March 12, 1911. She is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. John Wesley Powell and family

Botany

Thompson joined

's second Colorado River expedition during their 1872 winter camp near Kanab, Utah, serving as botanist. Her husband Almon Harris Thompson was second in command. She collected plants primarily in the Kanab area, although collecting excursions were also made through southern Utah and northern Arizona.Smith, Beatrice Scheer. 1994. The 1872 diary and plant collections of Ellen Powell Thompson. Utah Historical Quarterly 62:104-131. She collected 385 specimens, 15 of which would become type specimens for new taxa.Welsh, SL. 1982. Utah plant types—historical perspective 1840 to 1981—annotated list, and bibliography. Great Basin Naturalist 42:129-189. Every three months, she sent her collections (dried pressed plants) to Dr Asa Gray at Harvard. Many of her specimens reside at the Gray Herbarium, part of Harvard University Herbaria. Some were deposited in the

United States National Herbarium The United States National Herbarium is a collection of five million preserved plant specimens housed in the Department of Botany at the National Museum of Natural History, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. It represents about 8% of the ...

in Washington D.C., and others in scattered herbaria across the country. Thompson also liked to paint, and her home was decorated with many botanical illustrations.

Botanical legacy

Thompson is commemorated in the names of the following plant taxa, which were described as new to science based on specimens she collected in 1872 on

's second Colorado River expedition: * '' Astragalus mollissimus thompsoniae'' (''Astragalus thompsoniae'') – Thompson's woolly milkvetch * '' Eriogonum thompsoniae thompsoniae'' – Thompson's buckwheat * '' Penstemon thompsoniae'' (''Penstemon pumilus thompsoniae'') – Thompson's penstemon * '' Peteria thompsoniae'' – Thompson's spine-noded milkvetch * ''

Psorothamnus thompsoniae ''Psorothamnus'' is a genus of plants in the legume family. These are shrubs and small trees. Many are known by the general common name indigo bush. Some are referred to as daleas, as this genus was once included in genus '' Dalea''. These are g ...

'' (''Parosela thompsoniae'') – Thompson's Dalea Additional plant taxa described as new to science based on specimens she collected on the 1872 expedition include the following: * '' Androstephium breviflorum'' – Pink Funnel Lily * '' Astragalus ampullarius'' – Gumbo Milk-vetch * '' Calochortus aureus'' (''Calochortus nuttallii aureus'') – Golden Mariposa Lily * '' Calochortus flexuosus'' – Winding Mariposa Lily * ''

Chylismia multijuga ''Chylismia'' is a plant genus in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. Species ''The Plant List'' recognises 16 accepted species: * '' Chylismia arenaria'' * '' Chylismia atwoodii'' * ''Chylismia brevipes'' * '' Chylismia cardiophylla'' ...

'' (''Oenothera multijuga'') – Froststem Suncup * '' Dalea flavescens'' (''Petalostemon flavescens'') – Canyonlands Prairieclover * '' Erigeron utahensis'' (''Erigeron stenophyllus tetrapleuris'') – Utah Fleabane * '' Fendlerella utahensis'' (''Whipplea utahensis'') – Utah Fendlerbush, Yerba Desierto * '' Mirabilis glabra'' (''Oxybaphus glaber'') – Smooth Four-o'clock * '' Psathyrotes pilifera'' – Hairybeast Turtleback * '' Psilostrophe sparsiflora'' (''Riddellia tagetina sparsiflora'') – Greenstem Paperflower

Political activism

Thompson was active in the Suffragette movement in the 1890s, and was known across the United States as a colleague of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

. Thompson was elected President of the Women's District Suffrage Association on October 10, 1895, and again in 1897. She was also a founding member of the Equal Suffrage Association of the District of Columbia. In 1900, Thompson was the chair of the national convention, which ended with a celebration of Susan Anthony's 80th birthday, and retirement from the Presidency of the National Association. Thompson was active in securing a gift of $200 for Anthony.Stanton, E. Cady., Harper, I. Husted., Gage, M. Joslyn., Anthony, Susan B. (18811922). ''History of woman suffrage''. Rochester, N. Y.: Susan B. Anthony. p 568.

References

External links

UBC Botanical Garden "Botany Photo of the Day" entry"In the Company of Plants and Rocks" – blog post about Ellen Powell Thompson's botanical contributions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Ellen Powell 1840 births 1911 deaths American people of English descent Scientists from New York (state) American suffragists Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni People from Wheaton, Illinois School superintendents in Illinois 19th-century American scientists 20th-century American scientists American women botanists 20th-century American women scientists