Wilmon Newell (4 March 1878 – 25 October 1943) was an American
entomologist
Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...
.
He received his bachelor's (1897) and master's (1898) degrees from
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
, along with an honorary doctorate in 1920. In 1903, he was named
State Entomologist of Georgia. In 1904, he served as Secretary of the
Louisiana Crop Pest Commission, where he is credited for making important discoveries controlling the
cotton boll weevil using powdered
lead arsenate
Lead hydrogen arsenate, also called lead arsenate, acid lead arsenate or LA, chemical formula PbHAsO4, is an inorganic insecticide used primarily against the potato beetle.
Lead arsenate was the most extensively used arsenical insecticide.Peryea F. ...
.
In 1910, Newell became state entomologist in Texas for five years. After the Florida legislature approved the
Plant Act, Newell became the first Plant Commissioner for the
Florida State Plant Board, where he directed a successful campaign to eradicate
citrus canker
Citrus canker is a disease affecting ''Citrus'' species caused by the bacterium ''Xanthomonas'' (''X.axonopodis; X. campestris''). Infection causes lesions on the leaves, stems, and fruit of citrus trees, including lime, oranges, and grapefruit ...
. Newell also helped to establish the
Florida Entomological Society.
His approach to control invasive insects and diseases has been criticized as a "scorched earth" approach, eliminating pests without regard to the environment or to economic losses to growers.
In 1921, Newell was selected to run the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
’s College of Agriculture as well as its Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. He also headed the USDA’s eradication campaign against the
Mediterranean Fruit Fly
''Ceratitis capitata'', commonly known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or medfly, is a yellow-and-brown fly native to sub-Saharan Africa. It has no near relatives in the Western Hemisphere and is considered to be one of the most destructive fr ...
in Florida in 1929. He held the title of Provost of Agriculture from 1938 until his death in October 1943. His research areas included control methods or the cotton boll weevil,
Argentine ant
The Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), formerly ''Iridomyrmex humilis'', is an ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil. It is an invasive species that has been established in many Mediterranean clim ...
, and American foul brood in honeybees. During his career, he published technical papers on cotton and scale insects, apiculture, quarantine programs and procedures, and insect eradication. Dr. Newell had a particular interest in ant taxonomy, but also conducted pioneering research on boll weevil control in Louisiana and maintained a deep interest in apiary work in Texas and other states. However, he was best known for his activities in control and eradication of plant pests. He directed eradication from Florida of the Mediterranean fruit fly, citrus canker, and
citrus blackfly. He also surveyed extensively for the Argentine ant along the Gulf Coast, particularly in Louisiana.
He was a member of the advisory council of the
Southern Forestry Service, member and president in 1920 of the
American Association of Economic Entomologists
The Entomological Society of America (ESA) was founded in 1889 and today has more than 7,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, ...
. He was a charter member of the cotton states branch of the association, president of the
Association of Southern Agricultural Workers in 1929, the University of Florida Representative to the
Institute for Research in Tropical America, a member of the
Soil Science Society, Administrator of the
Florida State Soil Conservation, chairman of
Florida Land-Use Planning Committee, chairman of the
Advisory Committee on Agriculture, and the
Florida Defense Council.
Newell was inducted into the
Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 1966.
External links
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American entomologists
1878 births
1943 deaths
People from Hull, Iowa
Iowa State University alumni
Texas A&M University faculty
University of Florida faculty
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