HFRSE
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
(29 August 1897 – 6 September 1991) was a Canadian zoologist and geneticist in the 20th century. His book Animal Genetics has 31 published editions from 1964 to 1981 and is translated into six languages.
He made extensive studies of
salmonella
''Salmonella'' is a genus of rod-shaped (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two species of ''Salmonella'' are ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' is the type species and is fur ...
in poultry.
Life
He was born in
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
on 20 August 1897 into a farming family of Scots descent. He graduated with a BSA from the Agricultural College of Guelph in 1923. He then obtained an MSc in genetics at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
in 1925 and an MA from the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.
In 1929 the book Animal Genetics (1925) led Hutt to travel to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
to work under its author, Prof
Francis Albert Eley Crew
Francis Albert Eley Crew FRS FRSE LLD (2 March 1886 – 26 May 1973) was an English animal geneticist. He was a pioneer in his field leading to the University of Edinburgh’s place as a world leader in the science of animal genetics. He was t ...
. There he gained his first doctorate (PhD). In 1931 he returned to Canada to take up a professorship at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
as Professor of Poultry husbandry and Genetics, The following year, 1932, he became the youngest ever President of the
Poultry Science Association
The Poultry Science Association (PSA) is an American non-profit professional organization for the advancement of poultry science. Founded in 1908, the PSA is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois.
Consisting of 1800 members, PSA is involved in r ...
.
In 1934 he moved to
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
to chair the Department of Animal Husbandry and from 1940 to 1944 also chaired the Department of Zoology. From 1944 to 1964 he was Professor of Animal Genetics. His students included Welford Lamoreaux, Randall Cole, Paul Sturkie, John Scholes, Robert F Ball, Clyde Mueller and Benjamin Rasmusen.
The
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
awarded him an honorary doctorate (DSc) in 1939. In 1975 he was elected an Honorary Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
.
He died on 6 September 1991, aged 93.
Publications
*''Genetics of the Fowl'' (1949)
*''Genetic Resistance to Disease in Domestic Animals'' (1958)
*''Prospects and Procedures for Breeding Better Poultry'' (1958)
*''Animal Genetics'' (1964)
*''Genetics for Dog Breeders'' (1979)
Family
He had two sons, Robert Hutt and Bruce Hutt, and one daughter Margaret (now Mrs Margaret Neff).