Lincoln Ware Riddle (October 17, 1880 – January 16, 1921) 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 ...

who specialized in the study of

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, Riddle made significant contributions to lichenology, leveraging extensive scientific collections at

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 ...

and

Harvard University 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 ...

. Throughout his career, he held esteemed positions at both institutions and was actively involved in botanical societies and editorial boards. His untimely death at the age of 40 left a notable void in the botanical community, but his impact remains, marked by various publications and honors.

Early life and education

Born in Jamaica Plain,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, Riddle was educated at the Roxbury Latin School and a private school 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 ...

. His fascination with

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 ...

began at age 12 when he resolved to pursue it professionally, a decision he never wavered from. With access to the

collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collection ...

of cryptogamic botanist

Clara Eaton Cummings Clara Eaton Cummings (13 July 1855 – 28 December 1906) was an American cryptogamic botanist and Hunnewell Professor of Cryptogamic Botany at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Life and education Cummings was born in Plymouth, New Hampshir ...

at Wellesley and the substantial resources at

, Riddle aspired to significantly advance the study of

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship. He graduated from Harvard in 1902 and subsequently earned his A.M. in 1904 and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 1906.

Career

Starting his career at

as an instructor in botany, Riddle later became a full professor in 1917. During this tenure, he managed the lichen

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

previously overseen by

. His proximity and access to both this collection and the remarkable one at Harvard bolstered his reputation among American and European lichenologists. In 1913, Riddle took a year's leave from Wellesley to study lichen collections and collaborate with botanists in various European cities including

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

and

Helsingfors Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. He returned to the U.S. and, in 1919, was appointed assistant professor of Cryptogamic Botany and Associate Curator of the Cryptogamic Herbarium at Harvard. Riddle was actively involved in the New England Botanical Club, serving as its Cryptogamic Curator from 1910 to 1917, and its president from 1917 to 1920. Before falling ill, he was designated as an associate editor of the scientific journal '' Rhodora'', succeeding the late

Frank Shipley Collins Frank Shipley Collins (1848–1920) was an American botanist and algologist specializing in the study of marine algae.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435 He was a pio ...

. He also held the role of associate editor for '' The Bryologist'' from 1911. Furthermore, he was a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

and a member 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 soci ...

. His publications predominantly centered on systematic lichenology. In his final published work on ''

Acrospermum ''Acrospermum'' is a genus of fungus, fungi within the Acrospermaceae family. Species *''Acrospermum adeanum'' *''Acrospermum antennariicola'' *''Acrospermum bromeliacearum'' *''Acrospermum chilense'' *''Acrospermum compressum'' *''Acrospermum c ...

'', Riddle began exploring other areas of mycology.

Death

He died at his Cambridge residence on January 16, 1921, after a prolonged illness, concluding just one year of teaching at Harvard. Riddle's premature demise was deeply felt by the scientific community due to his valuable contributions, expertise, and dedication to botanical research. In an obituary jointly authored by Harvard colleagues Winthrop John Van Leuven Osterhout,

Roland Thaxter Roland Thaxter (August 28, 1858 – April 22, 1932) was an American mycologist, plant pathologist, botanist, and entomologist, renowned for his contribution to the insect parasitic fungi—Laboulbeniales. His college education was completed at Har ...

, and Merritt Lyndon Fernald, they wrote "In the circle which mourns him his careful scholarship was widely esteemed by his professional associates; he was honored by all for his inspiring ideals, and, beyond the lot of most men, he was sincerely beloved".

Eponyms

Riddle had two species named in his honour: '' Verrucaria riddleana'' , and '' Lichenothrix riddlei'' .

Selected publications

Riddle had 24 publications in his short career; a complete list in given in his obituary written by

Bruce Fink Bruce Fink (December 22, 1861 – July 10, 1927) was a prominent American lichenologist. His name was synonymous with the field of botany in the United States for more than 30 years. Although educated and well-versed across the spectrum of botany ...

. A few representative publications–including his first and final–are listed here. * * * * * *

References