Sir William Blaxland Benham (29 March 1860 – 21 August 1950) was a New Zealand zoologist.
Biography
He was born in
Isleworth,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
, England, on 29 March 1860. He studied at
Marlborough College and
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...
and taught at
Bedford College, London (now part of
Royal Holloway, University of London) before moving to New Zealand in 1898.
He was a member of the
1907 Sub-Antarctic Islands Scientific Expedition
The Sub-Antarctic Islands Scientific Expedition of 1907 was organised by the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury. The main aim of the expedition was to extend the magnetic survey of New Zealand by investigating Campbell Island and the Aucklan ...
.
From 1905 to 1911 he was the Governor in Council of the Board of Governors of the
New Zealand Institute.
Benham was professor of biology at the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate ...
from 1898 until he retired and was given the title of professor emeritus in 1937.
In 1937, he was awarded the
King George VI Coronation Medal
The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Issue
This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir of King George VI's coronation. It was awarded to t ...
,
and he was appointed a
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the
1939 King's Birthday Honours.
He won the
Hutton Medal
The Hutton Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Society Te Apārangi to a researcher who, working within New Zealand, has significantly advanced understanding through work of outstanding scientific or technological merit.
Requirements
Prior ...
of the New Zealand Institute in 1911, and the
Hector Medal
The Hector Medal, formerly known as the Hector Memorial Medal, is a science award given by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in memory of Sir James Hector to researchers working in New Zealand. It is awarded annually in rotation for different science ...
in 1935.
In 1942, he was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
degree by the
University of New Zealand
The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...
.
Benham died in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
on 21 August 1950,
and his ashes were buried in
Dunedin Northern Cemetery
The Dunedin Northern Cemetery is a major historic cemetery in the southern New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located on a sloping site close to Lovelock Avenue on a spur of Signal Hill close to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens and the suburb of ...
.
Selected publications
*
*
References
External links
*
1860 births
1950 deaths
New Zealand Fellows of the Royal Society
English emigrants to New Zealand
New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
20th-century New Zealand zoologists
20th-century New Zealand scientists
Presidents of the Royal Society of New Zealand
People associated with Otago Museum
University of Otago faculty
Burials at Dunedin Northern Cemetery
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