William Darlington (April 28, 1782 – April 23, 1863) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

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 politician who served as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district Pennsylvania's second congressional district includes all of Northeast Philadelphia and parts of North Philadelphia east of Broad Street, as well as portions of Philadelphia's River Wards. It has been represented by Democrat Brendan Boyle since 2 ...

from 1819 to 1823.Makers of American Botany,

Harry Baker Humphrey Harry Baker Humphrey (1873–1955) was an American botanist.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435 He was a pathologist with the USDA, specializing on research on breeding resi ...

, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435

Early life and education

William Darlington (cousin of

Edward Darlington Edward Darlington (September 17, 1795 – November 21, 1884) was a three term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from the Anti-Masonic Party. His cousins Isaac Darlington and William Darlington were also both member ...

and

Isaac Darlington Isaac Darlington (December 13, 1781 – April 27, 1839) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography He was born near West Chester, Pennsylvania and attended Friends School at Birmingham, Pennsylvania. He stu ...

, second cousin of Smedley Darlington) was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

. He attended the Friends School at Birmingham and spent his youth on a farm. He became a

at an early age, studied medicine, and graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1804. He went to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...

as ship's surgeon in 1806. He returned to West Chester, near Birmingham, in 1807 and was a practicing physician there for a number of years. He raised a company of volunteers at the beginning of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

and served as major of a volunteer regiment.

Political and later career

Darlington was elected as a

to the Fourteenth Congress. He was again elected to the

Sixteenth The 16th century begins with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (Roman numerals, MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (Roman numerals, MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar ...

and Seventeenth Congresses. He was appointed canal commissioner in 1825, and served as the first president of the

West Chester Railroad The West Chester Railroad is a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that runs between Market Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in Chester County, and the village of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, in Delaware County. It operates on of ...

from 1831 to 1835. In 1823, Darlington was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. He established a natural history society in West Chester in 1826 and published several works on botany and natural history. His published works include ''Mutual Influence of Habits and Disease'' (1804), ''Flora cestrica: an attempt to enumerate and describe the flowering and filicoid plants of Chester County in the state of Pennsylvania'' (1837) and ''Agricultural Botany'' (1847). The degree of L.L.D. was conferred on him by Yale University in 1848, and he was awarded a Doctor of Physical Science in 1855 by

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

. The California pitcher plant, ''

Darlingtonia californica ''Darlingtonia californica'' , also called the California pitcher plant, cobra lily, or cobra plant, is a species of carnivorous plant. It is the sole member of the genus ''Darlingtonia'' in the family Sarraceniaceae. This pitcher plant is nativ ...

'', was described by

John Torrey John Torrey (August 15, 1796 – March 10, 1873) was an American botany, botanist, chemist, and physician. Throughout much of his career, he was a teacher of chemistry, often at multiple universities, while he also pursued botanical work, focus ...

in 1853 and named in his honor. The

Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natura ...

preserves some botanical specimens that he collected — for example, of ''Talinum teretifolium'' (''Phemeranthus teretifolius'' — the quil
fameflower
. He served as director and president of the National Bank of Chester County from 1830 to 1863, where his friend and fellow botanist David Townsend was chief cashier. He died in West Chester in 1863, and was interred in

Oaklands Cemetery Oaklands Cemetery is a rural cemetery founded in 1854 in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is located at 1042 Pottstown Pike and is approximately in size. Description and history The Oaklands Cemetery was founded in respon ...

References

Sources

daguerreotype
* Lansing, Dorothy I. ''That Magnificent Cestrian: Dr. William Darlington, 1782-1863, Being a Short Introductory Biography.''

Paoli, Pennsylvania Paoli ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated in portions of two townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 5,575. Hist ...

: Serpentine Press, 1985. * Author:William Darlington wikisource

External links

The William Darlington papers, 1800-1863 at the New York Historical Society

Historical Marker Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Darlington, William 1782 births 1863 deaths People from Birmingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania American militiamen in the War of 1812 American bankers 19th-century American botanists Burials at Oaklands Cemetery People disowned by the Quakers Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni People from West Chester, Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians American militia officers 19th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from Pennsylvania American bank presidents