Homer LeRoy Shantz (1876–1958) was an American

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 former president of the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...

. Shantz was born in

Kent County, Michigan Kent County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 657,974, making it the fourth most populous county in Michigan, and the largest outside of the Detroit area. Its county seat is Grand R ...

on January 24, 1876. He was raised in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, where his family moved while he was still young. Shantz graduated from

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approxi ...

in 1901 with a bachelor's degree in botany. He received his doctoral degree in botany from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

in 1905. Following graduation until 1908 he taught botany at the state universities in Missouri and Louisiana before accepting a position with the United States Department of Agriculture. He traveled widely, with an emphasis on the American West and Africa, and made documentary photographs wherever he went. Among Shantz's research interests was the photographic documentation of vegetation change. He served as the President of the University of Arizona from 1928 to 1936, where he focused his attention on Arizona and the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...

. During this period, he worked with John E. Harrison Jr. in the acquisition of land for the creation of what is now called the

Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park is an American national park in Pima County, southeastern Arizona. The park consists of two separate areas—the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) about west of the city of Tucson and the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) about ...

In 1936, he resigned after disagreements with the legislature and the Board of Regents. From 1936, he served as Chief of the Division of Wildlife Management of the U.S. Forest Service until he retired in 1944. He later worked with the Geography Branch of the Office of Naval Research to re-photograph many of the sites he had documented earlier in his career.Sauer, Carl O. "Obituary: Homer Leroy Shantz", ''Geographical Review'', Vol. 49, No. 2 (April 1959), pp. 278–280 Shantz died June 23, 1958.

Notes

External links

*
Shantz biography

USDA Bureau of Plant Industry – Bulletin 201
''Natural Vegetation as an Indicator of the Capabilities of Land for Crop Production in the Great Plains Area'' by H.L. Shantz, issued March 16, 1911 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shantz, Homer L. 1876 births 1958 deaths Presidents of the University of Arizona University of Nebraska alumni United States Forest Service American botanists American photographers