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

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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 {{NewZealand-biologist-stub