Horace Mann Jr. (February 25, 1844 – 1868) 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 ...

, son of

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education. In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts Sta ...

. His mother was one of the famous Peabody Sisters

Mary Tyler Peabody Mann Mary Tyler Mann ( Peabody; November 16, 1806 in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts – February 11, 1887 in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts) was a teacher, author, and mother. She was the wife of Horace Mann, American education reformer and politician. E ...

. Mentored 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 ...

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

, whom he accompanied on an expedition to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, Mann took classes in

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

with

Louis Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...

and assisted

William Tufts Brigham William Tufts Brigham (1841–1926) was an American geologist, botanist, ethnologist and the first director of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Biography William Tufts Brigham was born on May 24, 1841. After finishing the Boston Lati ...

botanize the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. Mann was to have headed the botanical garden at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, but died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

at age twenty-four. His own herbarium was purchased by

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 ...

and became the basis of that university's collection. He is credited with the discovery of more than 100 species.

Early years

Horace Mann Jr. was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on February 25, 1844. He was the eldest of three sons of education reformer

and his second wife,

, and the grandson of

Nathaniel Peabody Nathaniel Peabody (March 1, 1741 – June 27, 1823) was an American physician from Rockingham County, New Hampshire. He represented New Hampshire as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1779 and 1780. Nathaniel was born to Jacob Peabody i ...

. Mann was educated by his parents, who believed in teaching through hands-on study, at home in

West Newton, Massachusetts West Newton is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Among the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages, the West Newton Village Center is a National Register Historic District. ...

. In 1853, the family moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio, where the elder Horace Mann established

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its f ...

. Although not old enough for college enrollment when first they arrived, young Horace had an inquisitive mind and was exposed to state of the art scientific learning. As a youth, Horace's interests ran to science, exploration and travel. After completing his first year of college at Antioch in 1859, Mann spent several weeks in the

home of Samuel Gridley and

Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe (; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the original 1870 pacifist Mother's Day Proclamation. She was also an advocate for abolitionism ...

. Upon his father's death due to

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

in 1859, the family returned to their mother's home-state of Massachusetts and the village of

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

, renting for a time the home of Mann's aunt and uncle,

Nathaniel , nickname = {{Plainlist, * Nat * Nate , footnotes = Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Greek name Nathanael. People with the name Nathaniel * Nathaniel Archibald (1952–2018), American basketball player * Nate A ...

and

Sophia Hawthorne Sophia Amelia Hawthorne ( Peabody; September 21, 1809 – February 26, 1871) was an American painter and illustrator as well as the wife of author Nathaniel Hawthorne. She also published her journals and various articles. Life Early life S ...

, known as

The Wayside The Wayside is a historic house in Concord, Massachusetts. The earliest part of the home may date to 1717. Later it successively became the home of the young Louisa May Alcott and her family, who named it Hillside, author Nathaniel Hawthorne and ...

Education and scientific studies

In 1861, Mann accompanied

on a journey of exploration and discovery that took them to

, where it was believed the climate would benefit Thoreau's

. Thoreau had been one of the young man's mentors in examination of the natural world. The pair left Concord, Massachusetts on May 11, 1861 and arrived at

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

on May 26. Thoreau's health continued to decline, however, and they returned to Concord on July 11. That fall, Mann began studies at

Lawrence Scientific School The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) is the engineering school within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, offering degrees in engineering and applied sciences to graduate students admitted ...

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, taking lessons in zoology with

. Mann studied and taught botany under

Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually excl ...

.Cornell University, Herbarium of the L.H. Bailey Hortorium, ''Horace Mann'', is on line a

/ref> Gray was grooming Mann to replace him as Harvard's botany professor until Mann died. In 1864, Horace Mann accompanied

on a botanical survey of the

, where they discovered more than 100 plant taxa new to science, including ''

Cyanea lobata ''Cyanea lobata'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Waihee Valley cyanea. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known from Lanai and Maui.Platydesma'' and '' Alsinidendron''. The Hawaiian fern '' Diellia mannii'' is named in Mann's honor. Mann graduated Harvard in 1867, writing his thesis on the topic of Hawaiian flora; titled ''Enumeratio of Hawaiian Plants'', it was published in 1867.

Death and legacy

It was Asa Gray's hope that Horace Mann become his successor at the botanical garden and in the botany department at Harvard University in 1868, but Mann died of tuberculosis on November 11, the same day that he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He left unfinished his ''Flora of the Hawaiian Islands.'' Mann's personal herbarium of ca.12,500 sheets was purchased in 1869 by

Andrew Dickson White Andrew Dickson White (November 7, 1832 – November 4, 1918) was an American historian and educator who cofounded Cornell University and served as its first president for nearly two decades. He was known for expanding the scope of college curricu ...

; it was the first accession into the

Herbarium and forms the original nucleus around which the Cornell University herbarium grew. In addition to ''Enumeratio of Hawaiian Plants'', Horace Mann, Jr., wrote other works in regard to Hawaiian flora, including ''Flora of the Hawaiian Islands'' and ''Analysis of the Hawaiian Flora'', which was finished by William Tufts Brigham and published after Mann's death.

References

Mann, Horace, 1844-1868. Manuscripts by Horace Mann, 1860?-1868: A Guide
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann Jr, Horace American botanists Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni 1844 births 1868 deaths