Frederick Gugenheim Gregory (22 December 1893 – 27 November 1961) was a British botanist, plant physiologist and winner of the

Royal Medal The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal and The King's Medal (depending on the gender of the monarch at the time of the award), is a silver-gilt medal, of which three are awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important ...

Education and early life

Gregory was born Fritz Gugenheim in London, but changed his name as a result of the anti-German sentiment during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, which culminated in the destruction of his laboratory notebooks by colleagues at the Cheshunt Experimental Station. He first studied at

Dame Alice Owen's School Dame Alice Owen's School (also known as Dame Alice Owen's or Owen's; referred to by the acronym DAOS) is an 11–18 mixed, partially selective secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, England. It i ...

, where he was persuaded by the school science master, G. A. Armitage that he should go into science, despite his artistic skills. He left the school at the top of his class with a number of prizes and passed the intermediate exam for the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in mathematics, physics, chemistry and mechanics in 1912, gaining acceptance into

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

. Gregory intention when applying had been to study chemistry, but after attending a lecture by John Bretland Farmer he switched to botany, gaining his ARCS in 1914 and BSc in 1915, both with first class honours, and also won the Forbes prize. Having been exempted from service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he gained his DIC in 1917, and followed this up with an MSc in 1920 and the DSc in 1921. By this point he had joined the Research Institute in Plant Physiology at the university, and began investigating the physiology of greenhouse crops at the Cheshunt Experimental Station. While there he noticed differences in how a plant grew at different times in the year but under a constant temperature, and attempted to express this in mathematical terms using very speculative evidence; the resulting arguments made him prominent within the field.

Career

After the completion of these studie, Gregory began working on the effects of electric current on plant growth under Vernon Blackman but remained interested in the study of growth, and began experimenting with that in 1919 at the

Rothamsted Experimental Station Rothamsted Research, previously known as the Rothamsted Experimental Station and then the Institute of Arable Crops Research, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843. It is located at Harp ...

, something he continued until 1937. By 1928 his work was visible and important enough that he was asked to advise the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation on their irrigation techniques in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, setting up statistical studies so helpful that his final report was widely used in the development of agronomy within the country. When Blackman was appointed head of the biological laboratories at Imperial College Gregory was made assistant professor of plant physiology and assistant director of the research institute, resulting in him (for the first time in his career) having to give lectures at the university. Under Gregory the research institute became known for its work investigating

vernalization Vernalization (from Latin ''vernus'', "of the spring") is the induction of a plant's flowering process by exposure to the prolonged cold of winter, or by an artificial equivalent. After vernalization, plants have acquired the ability to flower, ...

, photoperiodism,

transpiration Transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and flowers. Water is necessary for plants but only a small amount of water taken up by the roots is used for growth a ...

and carbohydrate metabolism, with Gregory in high demand as an advisor both at the university and its various research institutes. After Blackman's retirement in 1937 Gregory was made head of the laboratories, although work at the university was heavily disrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1947 Gregory was appointed head of the research institute as well, and focused on repairing damage from the war. This period saw increased appreciation of Gregory as a scientist; he was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1940, serving on its council from 1949 to 1951 and was awarded the

in 1957 'In recognition of his distinguished studies in plant physiology.' Around the same time he was also elected a foreign member of the Indian Society of Plant Physiologists and the

United States National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

. He retired in December 1958, and died in Hampstead General Hospital, London on 27 November 1961.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Frederick Gugenheim 1893 births 1961 deaths People from Holloway, London Fellows of the Royal Society English botanists Royal Medal winners Plant physiologists Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences People educated at Dame Alice Owen's School Scientists from London