Harriet Baldwin Creighton (27 June 1909 – January 9, 2004) 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 ...

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processe ...

and educator.

Background

Born in Delavan,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Creighton graduated from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1929, and went on to complete her Ph.D. at

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 ...

in 1933.

Career

During her time at Cornell she worked in the field of maize

cytogenetics Cytogenetics is essentially a branch of genetics, but is also a part of cell biology/cytology (a subdivision of human anatomy), that is concerned with how the chromosomes relate to cell behaviour, particularly to their behaviour during mitosis an ...

with

Barbara McClintock Barbara McClintock (June 16, 1902 – September 2, 1992) was an American scientist and cytogeneticist who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. McClintock received her PhD in botany from Cornell University in 1927. There s ...

, the pair published a very influential paper in 1931 in which they described

chromosomal crossover Chromosomal crossover, or crossing over, is the exchange of genetic material during sexual reproduction between two homologous chromosomes' non-sister chromatids that results in recombinant chromosomes. It is one of the final phases of geneti ...

for the first time. This paper, part of her Ph.D. research, provided key evidence that chromosomes carried and exchanged genetic information and hence that genes for physical traits are carried on chromosomes. Barbara McClintock guided her Ph.D. research. After completing her Ph.D. she taught at

and

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

, and then returned to

where she taught until her retirement in 1974; taking time from her career to serve in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

during

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 ...

. Creighton was elected in 1940 a fellow of 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 ...

. Key Publication .

References

External links

''Wellesley Wire'': "Harriet Creighton, long-time professor of botany, dies" (January 29, 2004)
* **Kass, Lee B. 2005c, ''Plant Science Bulletin'': "Harriet B. Creighton: Proud botanist" 51(4): 118–125. Available online, December 2005:
Kass, Lee B. 2007a. "Women Pioneers in Plant Biology" - Barbara McClintock (1902-1992)"
— American Society of Plant Biologists website, Ann Hirsch editor, published online February 2007
Kass, Lee B. 2007b. "Women Pioneers in Plant Biology" - Barbara McClintock (1902-1992)"
— American Society of Plant Biologists website, Ann Hirsch editor, published online March 2007] * Kass, L. B. and Chomet, P. 2009. Barbara McClintock, Pgs. 17–52, in J. Bennetzen and S. Hake, Editors, ''Handbook of Maize: Genetics and Genomics''. Springer
Macmillan Science Library: Plant Sciences - Bookrags: "Harriet Creighton: American Botanist"
* Kalte, Pamela M. and Nemeh, Katherine H. (2005) "Creighton, Harriet Baldwin (1909-)" ''American Men & Women of Science: A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological and related sciences'' (22nd ed.) Thomson Gale, Detroit * McGrayne, Sharon Bertsch (1998) ''Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries'' Carol Publishing Group, New Jersey {{DEFAULTSORT:Creighton, Harriet Baldwin 1909 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American educators American geneticists American women botanists American women geneticists Botanical Society of America Cornell University faculty Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni Wellesley College alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II Female United States Navy personnel People from Delavan, Illinois Scientists from Illinois 20th-century American botanists 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American women educators American women academics 21st-century American women Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science