Charles W. Woodworth
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Charles William Woodworth (April 28, 1865 – November 19, 1940) 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 published extensively in
entomology Entomology () is the science, 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 ...
and founded the Entomology Department at the University of California, Berkeley. He was the first person to breed the
model organism A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workin ...
'' Drosophila melanogaster'' (fruit fly) in captivity and to suggest to early genetic researchers at
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
its use for scientific research. He spent four years at the
University of Nanking The University of Nanking, known in Chinese as Jinling University (金陵大学, Jinling being the ancient name of Nanking) was a private university in Nanjing, China sponsored by American churches. Founded in 1888, it effectively become defunct i ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, where he effected the practical control of the city's mosquitoes. He drafted and lobbied for California's first insecticide law and administered the law for 12 years. The Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America named its annual career achievement award the
C. W. Woodworth Award The C. W. Woodworth Award is an annual award presented by the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America. This award, the PBESA's largest, is for achievement in entomology in the Pacific region of the United States over the previous ten ...
.


Birth and early life

He was born in Champaign, Illinois on April 28, 1865 to Alvin Oakley Woodworth and Mary Celina (Carpenter) Woodworth. His father was a merchant but died when Charles was four. Some years later, his mother married Alvin's older brother Stephen Elias Woodworth to help raise Charles and his older brother Howard. Stephen had earlier been a resident of Seneca Falls, New York and was a signatory of the 1848 Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments.Signatories of the Declaration of Sentiments
/ref>


Career overview

Charles graduated with a BS in 1885 and an MS in 1886 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The funds received from the judgment in the 1884 U.S. Supreme Court Case, New England Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Woodworth, may have helped pay for his education. During the period of 1884–1886, he was assistant to S.A. Forbes. From 1886 to 1888 he studied at Harvard University under Hermann August Hagen, who, at the time, was the leading entomologist of the U.S. He returned between 1900 and 1901 and worked under
William E. Castle William Ernest Castle (October 25, 1867 – June 3, 1962) was an early United States, American geneticist. Early years William Ernest Castle was born on a farm in Ohio and took an early interest in natural history. He graduated in 1889 from Deni ...
. In 1888, he was appointed entomologist and
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 ...
at the University of Arkansas's Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. On September 4, 1889, he married Leonora Stern in Rolla, Missouri, the city where her parents, Edward Stern and Lizzie Hardin Evans Stern, lived. Charles suffered from successive attacks of malaria while in Arkansas. He left there in 1891 to become assistant in entomology at the University of California (now UC Berkeley) where he founded and built up the Division of Entomology. He also participated in the development of the Agricultural Experiment Station, now known as UC Davis, and is also considered the founder of the Entomology Department there. At Berkeley, he rose to be Assistant Professor in 1891, Associate Professor in 1904, Professor in 1913, and was named Emeritus Professor upon his retirement in 1930.12/20/1940 Science Magazine Obituary
/ref>


Proposal on the use of ''Drosophila''

Woodworth is credited with first breeding '' Drosophila'' in quantity while he was at Harvard. Thomas Hunt Morgan's Nobel Prize biography says that Woodworth suggested to
William E. Castle William Ernest Castle (October 25, 1867 – June 3, 1962) was an early United States, American geneticist. Early years William Ernest Castle was born on a farm in Ohio and took an early interest in natural history. He graduated in 1889 from Deni ...
that Drosophila might be used for genetical work. Castle and his associates used it for their work on the effects of inbreeding, and through them F. E. Lutz became interested in it and the latter introduced it to Morgan, who was looking for a species that could be bred in the very limited space at his command.


Four years in China

While on sabbatical leave in 1918, he was a lecturer at the
University of Nanking The University of Nanking, known in Chinese as Jinling University (金陵大学, Jinling being the ancient name of Nanking) was a private university in Nanjing, China sponsored by American churches. Founded in 1888, it effectively become defunct i ...
and honorary professor of entomology at the
National Southeastern University Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xianli ...
at
Nanking, China Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...
. During his year there he effected a practical control of mosquitoes for the first time in that city's history. He returned for a three-year period in 1921–1924. During this period he organized the Kiangsu Provincial Bureau of Entomology as well as many other things. In the words of the president of the University of Nanking, "He served China in a magnificent way."


Publications and policy efforts

His publications were very extensive and included nearly every field of entomology. A few of his most outstanding works are: "A List of the Insects of California (1903), The Wing Veins of Insects" (1906), "Guide to California Insects" (1913), and "School of Fumigation" (1915). He was the first editor and first contributor to the University of California Publications in Entomology. He had much to do with the responsible use of pesticides. He proposed and drafted the first California Insecticide Law in 1906, was largely instrumental in securing its passage in 1911, and administered the law until July 1, 1923. Entomological campaigns which he conducted in California concerned the
codling moth The codling moth (''Cydia pomonella'') is a member of the Lepidopteran family Tortricidae. They are major pests to agricultural crops, mainly fruits such as apples and pears. Because the larvae are not able to feed on leaves, they are highly d ...
, the peach twig-borer, citrus insects,
grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...
s, and citrus
white fly Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described. Description and taxonomy The A ...
eradication.


Family and home

Charles and Leonora had four children: Lawrence, Harold, Charles, and Elizabeth. His son, Dr. Charles E. Woodworth, also became an entomologist; he worked for the USDA
ARS Ars or ARS may refer to: Places * Ars, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran * ''Ars'', various communes in France: ** Ars, Charente, in the Charente ''département'' ** Ars, Creuse, in the Creuse ''département'' ** Ars-en-Ré, in ...
focusing on the wireworm and served as an entomologist with the Army in the Pacific during World War II with the rank of Major, commanding a unit which cleared swamps. Their home at 2237 Carleton Street in
Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...
, that he designed, was designated a Berkeley Landmark in 1993. He had many avocations including making telescopes, analyzing chess positions, and researching his extended family's genealogy.


The C.W. Woodworth Award

C.W. was an 1889 charter member of the American Association of Economic Entomologists (an association which merged with the
Entomological Society of America 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, ...
, founded 1906, in 1953). The Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America selects a member of the society to win the
C. W. Woodworth Award The C. W. Woodworth Award is an annual award presented by the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America. This award, the PBESA's largest, is for achievement in entomology in the Pacific region of the United States over the previous ten ...
based on "outstanding accomplishments in entomology over at least the past 10 years." Here is a nearly complete list of winners since 1969. This award is principally sponsored by his great-grandson, Brian Holden, and his wife, Joann Wilfert, with additional support by Dr. Craig and Kathryn Holden, and Dr. Jim and Betty Woodworth.


See also

*
History of model organisms The history of model organisms began with the idea that certain organisms can be studied and used to gain knowledge of other organisms or as a control (ideal) for other organisms of the same species. Model organisms offer standards that serve as ...
* Timeline of Entomology - Post 1900


References


External links

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11/21/1940 NY Times Obituary
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12/20/1940 Science Magazine Obituary
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History of Entomology at UC Davis
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History of Entomology at the University of Arkansas
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' *
City of Berkeley Landmark listing of his home
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Photo of the Woodworth family home in Berkeley which he designed
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' * ttp://dlxs2.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=cdl;idno=cdl151 Guide to California insectsCornell University Library Historical Monographs Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodworth, Charles W. 1865 births 1940 deaths American entomologists University of California, Davis faculty University of Arkansas faculty University of California, Berkeley College of Natural Resources faculty University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Harvard University alumni Charles W