John Merle Coulter, Ph. D. (November 20, 1851 – December 23, 1928) 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 educator. In his career in education administration, Coulter is notable for serving as the president of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

and

Lake Forest College Lake Forest College is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducational since 1876 and an undergraduate-focused liberal arts in ...

and the head of the Department of Botany at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

Early life and education

John Merle Coulter was born in Ningpo, China to missionary parents Caroline Elvira Crowe and Moses Stanley Coulter. His brother was the botanist Stanley Coulter. He graduated from Hanover College in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

receiving the degree A.B. in 1870, followed by an A.M. in 1873 and Ph.D. in 1883 from the Indiana University.

conferred a ''pro merito'' Ph.D. to Coulter in 1884 while he was serving as Professor of Botany at

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cu ...

. He married Georgie M. Gaylord of Delphi, Indiana on January 1, 1874.

Career

John Merle Coulter held the following positions: * 1871–1879 Professor of Natural Sciences at Hanover College * 1872–1875 Botanist to the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

* 1879–1891 Professor of Botany at

* 1891–1893 President and Professor of Botany of

, succeeding

David Starr Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Univer ...

as president * 1893–1896 President of

* 1896–1925 Professor and head of the department of Botany at the

. * 1925–1928 Dean and adviser of the

Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research The Boyce Thompson Institute (previously: Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research) is an independent research institute devoted to using plant sciences to improve agriculture, protect the environment, and enhance human health. The Boyce Thom ...

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

, a position he held until his death.

Memberships in scientific societies

In 1901, Coulter was the general secretary 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 ...

and in 1918 served as the Association's president. From 1897 to 1898, he was the president of the

Botanical Society of America The Botanical Society of America (BSA) represents professional and amateur botanists, researchers, educators and students in over 80 countries of the world. It functions as a United States nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership society. History The soc ...

Survival of the sinking of ''Republic''

In 1909, Coulter and his wife, along with their children Grace and Merle, survived the sinking of the White Star liner in which six were killed.

Later life

While employed at the Boyce Thompson Institute, Coulter died from heart disease at his home in

, on December 23, 1928 at the age of 77.Alternate Link
via

ProQuest ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...

Notable works

John Merle Coulter's published works include: * ''Synopsis of the Flora of Colorado'' (1874), with Thomas Porter and

Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (September 7, 1829 – December 22, 1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union Ar ...

* ''Manual of Rocky Mountain Botany'' (1885; revised, 1909) * ''Manual of Texan Botany'' (1892–93) * ''Plant Relations'' (1899; third revision, 1910) * ''Plant Structures'' (1899; second edition, 1904) * ''Morphology of Spermatophytes'' (1901) * ''Morphology of Angiosperms'' (1903), with C. J. Chamberlain * ''Plant Studies'' (1902; revised 1905) * ''A Text-Book of Botany for Colleges and Universities''(two volumes, 1910–11) * ''Elementary Studies in Botany'' (1913)
''Plant Breeding''
(1914)
''Evolution, Heredity and Eugenics''
(1916) * ''Religion and Science'' (1923) In 1875, Coulter founded the ''

Botanical Gazette The ''International Journal of Plant Sciences'' covers botanical research including genetics and genomics, developmental and cell biology, biochemistry and physiology, morphology and structure, systematics, plant-microbe interactions, paleobotany, ...

'' and thereafter continued to be its editor.

Legacy and contributions

As president of Indiana University

Coulter's student, Henry Chandler Cowles played a significant role in documenting the ecological importance of the Indiana Dunes. Many conservationists attempted to preserve parts of the Indiana Dunes.

References

External links

IMA

* *
Indiana University President's Office records, 1891–1893

National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir

Guide to the John Merle Coulter Papers 1845-1929
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coulter, John Merle American taxonomists 1851 births 1928 deaths American botanical writers Presidents of Indiana University Presidents of the American Association of University Professors University of Chicago faculty University of Chicago staff Hanover College alumni Botanical Society of America Educators from Indiana Educators from Ningbo Writers from Ningbo 19th-century American botanists 20th-century American botanists 19th-century American writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers