William Anderson (28 December 1750 in

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

– 3 August 1778 in

Bering Sea The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Ameri ...

) was a Scottish naturalist.

Biography

One of the seven children Jean (née Melvil) and Robert Anderson, a schoolmaster. Anderson studied medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

from 1766–68. He enlisted in the navy and qualified on 1 December 1768 as surgeon's first mate, being promoted to surgeon on 1 November 1770 and posted to the vessel (1768–1819). Anderson accompanied

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

on his second voyage, boarding the ''

Resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...

'' on 12 December 1771 as surgeon's mate. Anderson proved to be diligent and was chosen to accompany Cook on his third voyage as surgeon and naturalist, joining the ''Resolution'' again on 15 February 1776. Though he had received no formal training as a naturalist, Anderson proved to be more than capable. He described and put together a large collection of specimens for

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...

and added considerably to the knowledge of Pacific languages. He is commemorated by the botanical subgenus '' Andersonia''. Anderson died of

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

Famous Andersons
/ref> on 3 August 1778 while the ''Resolution'' was on the

. Shortly before dying he made a will leaving most of his estate to his sisters, Beth and Robinah, and to his mother's brother, William Melvil. In a letter to the

Earl of Sandwich Earl of Sandwich is a noble title in the Peerage of England, held since its creation by the House of Montagu. It is nominally associated with Sandwich, Kent. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir Edward Montagu. ...

, Joseph Banks states that Anderson's family received the moneys due to them. Disturbed by Anderson's death, Cook wrote: Cook, though, had become confused and tried to rename

St. Lawrence Island St. Lawrence Island ( ess, Sivuqaq, russian: Остров Святого Лаврентия, Ostrov Svyatogo Lavrentiya) is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait. The village of Gambell, located on t ...

. Anderson Point in

Nootka Sound , image = Morning on Nootka Sound.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Clouds over Nootka Sound , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = Map of Nootka So ...

commemorates William Anderson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, William 1750 births 1778 deaths 18th-century deaths from tuberculosis Scottish naturalists Scottish botanists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from North Berwick Tuberculosis deaths in Russia People who died at sea Royal Navy Medical Service officers 18th-century Scottish medical doctors James Cook

Biography

See also

References