Sir Frederick William Keeble,
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
,
FRS (2 March 1870 – 19 October 1952) was a British
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
, academic, and scientific adviser, who specialised in
botany
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 w ...
. He was
Sherardian Professor of Botany
The Sherardian Chair of Botany is a professorship at the University of Oxford that was established in 1734. It was created following an endowment by William Sherard on his death in 1728. In his will, Sherard stipulated that the first holder of th ...
at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
from 1920 to 1927 and
Fullerian Professor of Physiology The Fullerian Chairs at the Royal Institution in London, England, were established by John 'Mad Jack' Fuller.
Fullerian Professors of Physiology & Comparative Anatomy
* 1834–1837 Peter Mark Roget
* 1837–1838 Robert Edmond Grant
* 1841–1844 Th ...
at the
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...
from 1937 to 1941.
Early life
Keeble was born on 2 March 1870 in
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
, London, England.
He was the second of six sons born to Francis Henry Keeble and his wife Anna Keeble (née Gamble).
His father was the head of a furniture manufacturer in London.
He was educated at
Alleyn's School
Alleyn's School is a 4–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Church of England, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Ed ...
, an
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
public school
Public school may refer to:
* State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
* Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
in
Dulwich
Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...
, London, and then
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...
, also a public school in Dulwich.
He then studied
natural sciences
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
at
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...
.
He was awarded
first class honours
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
in Part I in 1891, and
second class honours
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
in Part II in 1893.
He graduated from the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1893. He had been awarded the Frank Smart studentship in
botany
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 w ...
and, after graduation, went to study the subject in Germany under
Wilhelm Pfeffer
Wilhelm Friedrich Philipp Pfeffer (9 March 1845 – 31 January 1920) was a German botanist and plant physiologist born in Grebenstein.
Academic career
He studied chemistry and pharmacy at the University of Göttingen, where his instructors incl ...
.
Career
Early academic career
![Wisley Gardens laboratory 8 6 7-90](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Wisley_Gardens_laboratory_8_6_7-90.jpg)
In 1894, Keeble spent time in
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
researching
plant physiology
Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...
. He was interested in the hanging foliage of a number of tropical trees; specifically ''
Amherstia
''Amherstia nobilis'' ( my, သော်ကကြီး ; the Pride of Burma, in the family Fabaceae) is a tropical tree with large, showy flowers. It is the only member of the genus ''Amherstia''. It is widely cultivated for ornamental plant, o ...
'', ''
Brownea'', and ''
Humboldtia
''Humboldtia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. Most species are endemic to India.Gaume, L., Zacharias, M., Grosbois, V., & Borges, R. M. (2005)The fitness consequences of bearing domatia and having the right ant partner: e ...
''. This study produced his first publications which consisted of two
academic papers
Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or thesis, theses. The part of academic written output that is not forma ...
published in 1895.
Having returned to the UK, he was an assistant lecturer in botany at
Owens College Owens may refer to:
Places in the United States
*Owens Station, Delaware
*Owens Township, St. Louis County, Minnesota
*Owens, Missouri
*Owens, Ohio
*Owens, Virginia
People
* Owens (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Owens Bro ...
,
Victoria University in Manchester
and also taught at the
University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
, mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all
, established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'')
, former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth
, type = Public
, endowment = ...
(covering sabbatical leave of Professor
John Henry Salter in 1896).
In 1902 he joined
University College, Reading
The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
, first as a lecturer in botany, and from October that year as director of its horticultural department. He was promoted to
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
in 1907 and served as
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
of the Faculty of Science between 1907 and 1909.
During his time at Reading, he collaborated on publications with F. W. Gamble and E. F. Armstrong.
In 1910, he was involved in a delegation from Reading to various universities in Canada and the United States of America. Their purpose was to investigate new methods of agricultural education and research.
In 1914, he left Reading to take up the appointment of Director of the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
's
gardens
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 ...
in
Wisley
__NOTOC__
Wisley is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England between Cobham and Woking, in the Borough of Guildford. It is the home of the Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden. The River Wey runs through the village and Ockham and ...
, Surrey.
He had been recommended to the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society by
Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour, a former
Regius Professor of Botany.
World War I
When the United Kingdom joined
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 ...
in August 1914, Keeble left the recently acquired position at RHS Garden, Wisley, to join the
Board of Agriculture and Fisheries.
In 1917, the Food Production Department was created. He transferred to the new department as Controller of Horticulture.
That year, he wrote an article for ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' that advised on the growing of potatoes at home as part of the campaign for increased agricultural output. In a letter to the same newspaper, he drew attention to a newly created units of 'patriotic gardeners', formed by the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
. These experiences gardeners were to travel the country, advising allotments, schools and other organisations about food production.
In 1919, he was promoted to Assistant Secretary of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries.
During this post, he was instrumental in the establishment of the
East Malling Research Station
NIAB EMR is a horticultural and agricultural research institute at East Malling, Kent in England, with a specialism in fruit and clonally propagated crop production. In 2016, the institute became part of the National Institute of Agricultural ...
as an independent but government-funded horticultural research centre.
The station was previously part of
Wye College
bio sciences -> social sciences -> business school
Pictures of OLT, Old Hall,Cloister, Parlour
-->
The College of St Gregory and St Martin at Wye, commonly known as Wye College, was an education and research institution in the village of Wye ...
, an educational institution specialising in agriculture.
He gave two lectures at the
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...
in 1919, concerning
intensive cultivation.
Later academic career
In 1920, Keeble left the civil service and returned to academia.
He had been elected to the appointment of
Sherardian Professor of Botany
The Sherardian Chair of Botany is a professorship at the University of Oxford that was established in 1734. It was created following an endowment by William Sherard on his death in 1728. In his will, Sherard stipulated that the first holder of th ...
at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
in December 1919. His predecessor,
S. H. Vines vacated the position on 31 December, and Keeble succeeded him on 1 January 1920. After accepting the chair, he bought a plot of land in
Boars Hill
Boars Hill is a hamlet southwest of Oxford, straddling the boundary between the civil parishes of Sunningwell and Wootton. Historically, part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.
History
The earliest ...
near Oxford and built his own home; there was no house within the required distance from the city that was suitable in size for a university professor, with a garden suitable in size for a botanist.
A keen gardener, he cultivated a large garden which could be used for his research,
and also scenic enough to be used for extensive entertaining.
Keeble met
Sir Alfred Mond when he was a guest to an event held at his Boars Hill home. In 1927, Mond convinced him to leave the University of Oxford and become agricultural adviser to the newly created
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain.
It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926.
Its headquarters were at M ...
(ICI).
He worked with a team at
Jealott's Hill Agricultural Research Station, investigating the effects of fertilisation on both
arable land
Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the ...
and
pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...
.
This research was published in 1932. He then relinquished his role as director of the research station, and continued his association with ICI as a scientific advisor and member of the company's executive council.
In 1938, he returned once more to academia as
Fullerian Professor of Physiology The Fullerian Chairs at the Royal Institution in London, England, were established by John 'Mad Jack' Fuller.
Fullerian Professors of Physiology & Comparative Anatomy
* 1834–1837 Peter Mark Roget
* 1837–1838 Robert Edmond Grant
* 1841–1844 Th ...
at the
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...
.
He relinquished the position upon his retirement in 1941.
Later life
Keeble retired from academia in 1941. In retirement he moved first to
Fowey
Fowey ( ; kw, Fowydh, meaning 'Beech Trees') is a port town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, with the local ch ...
, Cornwall before moving to London.
He died in his home, a flat on
Gloucester Road, London, on 19 October 1952.
Honours
Keeble was elected President of the botany section of the
British Association
The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
in 1912.
In 1913, he was elected
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
(FRS).
He was elected President of the agricultural section of the British Association in 1920.
He was elected a member of the
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...
in 1924. In 1933, he was elected Master of the
Worshipful Company of Fruiterers
The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers is a livery company of the city of London originally and presently concerned with the fruit trade, and a charitable institution.
History
The Company was founded in 1463 and received a Royal Charter in 1605. ...
for that year.
On 4 June 1917, he was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE) 'for services in connection with the War'.
In the
1922 Birthday Honours, he was appointed
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...
and was therefore granted the use of the title sir.
He was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
by
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
on 8 July 1922.
Works
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References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keeble, Frederick
1870 births
1952 deaths
20th-century British biologists
20th-century British botanists
Sherardian Professors of Botany
Fullerian Professors of Physiology
People from Westminster
People educated at Alleyn's School
People educated at Dulwich College
Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Fellows of the Royal Society
Knights Bachelor
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire