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Henry Luke Bolley (February 1, 1865 – November 9, 1956) 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 ...
and
plant pathologist Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungus, fung ...
known for his work that led to the control or eradication of several major crop diseases. He was also a pioneering
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
player and coach.


Early life and education

Bolley was raised on a farm near
Lawrenceburg, Indiana Lawrenceburg is a city in Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,042 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat and largest city of Dearborn County. Lawrenceburg is in southeast Indiana, on the Ohio River west of Cinci ...
. He attended
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
, where he played varsity
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
and
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
. In 1887, he organized the first
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
team at Purdue, and played
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
in the team's first game against
DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...
. Bolley graduated in 1888, and remained at Purdue as a botanist while earning a master's degree in 1889.


Plant pathology work

In 1890, Bolley was one of the first three faculty members hired at the newly founded North Dakota Agricultural College (NDAC), later
North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...
. In his first year at NDAC, he isolated the organism responsible for potato scab and developed an effective treatment. In 1893, he discovered a method of treating smut with
formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section F ...
. Much of his work, however, focused on the causes of flax wilt. At the time, it was believed that wilt was caused by "flax-sick" or deficient soil. Bolley established that wilt was in fact the result of the soilborne fungus
fusarium oxysporum ''Fusarium oxysporum'' (Schlecht as emended by Snyder and Hansen), an ascomycete fungus, comprises all the species, varieties and forms recognized by Wollenweber and Reinking within an infrageneric grouping called section Elegans. It is part of ...
. His breeding work led to the development of the resistant strain "Bison Flax", which was planted widely and made North Dakota one of the world's major
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
-producing regions. Bolley turned his attention to
stem rust Stem rust, also known as cereal rust, black rust, red rust or red dust, is caused by the fungus ''Puccinia graminis'', which causes significant disease in cereal crops. Crop species that are affected by the disease include bread wheat, durum w ...
, a
wheat disease The cereal grain wheat is subject to numerous wheat diseases, including bacterial, viral and fungal diseases, as well as parasitic infestations. Principal diseases * Barley yellow dwarf virus, BYDV * Brown rust '' Puccinia recondita'' * Common ...
. He discovered that the rust spores bred not on wheat plants, but on the common barberry, a bush often found near wheat fields. He was author of the North Dakota Pure Seed Law of 1908.
New International Encyclopedia ''The New International Encyclopedia'' was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It descended from the ''International Cyclopaedia'' (1884) and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926. History ''The New Intern ...
In 1916–17, he authored and obtained passage of a state law creating a barberry eradication program. Bolley served as North Dakota state seed commissioner from 1909 to 1929.


Football coaching

In 1890, Bolley challenged the
University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
to a football match, but did not have enough players to field an NDAC team until 1894. In that year, Bolley's "Farmers" (not "Bison" until 1922) defeated the UND football squad twice, 20–4 and 22–4, starting a rivalry which continues today. Bolley coached football at NDAC until 1899.


Later life and honors

Bolley was a member of many academic organizations including the American Botanical Society and the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
. He received honorary doctorates from Purdue in 1938 and NDAC in 1939. He retired from teaching in 1945 and died in 1956 at age 91. He was buried in
Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...
. Research Plot 30 at North Dakota State University, site of Bolley's research on
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
pathogens, is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.


Head coaching record


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolley, Henry Luke 1865 births 1956 deaths 19th-century players of American football American botanists American phytopathologists North Dakota State University faculty North Dakota State Bison football coaches Purdue Boilermakers baseball players Purdue Boilermakers football players Purdue Boilermakers men's tennis players People from Dearborn County, Indiana Sportspeople from Fargo, North Dakota Players of American football from Indiana Baseball players from Indiana People from Lawrenceburg, Indiana Scientists from Indiana