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Richard Émile Augustin de Candolle (8 December 1868,
Not having particularly prepared for a career in botany, he was mentored by his father. He made a study of the east Madagascan collection of Emile Mocquerys, publishing several descriptions of new species in conjunction with colleagues.
In 1912 he was called to work for the British consulate, a role for which his formal education had prepared him well. The demands of this, particularly during the four years of
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames, known locally as Walton, is a market town on the bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, Thames in northwest Surrey, England. It is in the Borough of Elmbridge, about southwest of central London. Walton forms part ...
– 4 May 1920, Vallon) was a Swiss botanist and was British consul to the Canton of Geneva
The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of forty-five Municipality, municipalities, and the seat of the governme ...
between 1912 and 1918.
Early life and education
Richard Émile Augustin de Candolle was the grandson ofAlphonse Pyramus de Candolle
Alphonse Louis Pierre Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (27 October 18064 April 1893) was a French-Swiss botanist, the son of the Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle.
Biography
De Candolle, son of Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, first devot ...
, and son of Casimir de Candolle and Anna-Mathilde Marcet, granddaughter of William Marcet. He had three siblings: Raymond Charles de Candolle 1864–1935, Florence Pauline Lucienne de Candolle 1865–1943 and Reyne Marguerite de Candolle 1876–1958.
Having initially studied in Geneva, he was sent to England because of the maternal family connections and, in 1883, was sent to Rugby School
Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...
where he remained until 1887. He then spent time in Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
to improve his German before returning to London to study for the Civil Service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
, with the intention of entering the Diplomatic Service. However, he was obliged to abandon that ambition and, instead, studied for a career in law in Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
and Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
from 1890 to 1893. Despite this he was always oriented towards botany, and, returning to Geneva, he vowed to continue the botanical family dynasty.
He married Louise de Saugy in 1895 and they had three daughters and two sons.
Career
Not having particularly prepared for a career in botany, he was mentored by his father. He made a study of the east Madagascan collection of Emile Mocquerys, publishing several descriptions of new species in conjunction with colleagues.
In 1912 he was called to work for the British consulate, a role for which his formal education had prepared him well. The demands of this, particularly during the four years of World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, inevitably reduced his botanical studies.
The death of his father in 1918, and the end of war prompted him to resign from the consulate and he was set to continue his botanic career with renewed vigour. His death, at the age of 51, was unexpected. After his death, the de Candolle herbarium
A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant biological specimen, specimens and associated data used for scientific study.
The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sh ...
collection comprising 400,000 specimens and substantial library of 14,000 works, (which included a copy of the 1485, Herbarius latinus, the earliest illustrated work known, along with other pre-Linnean works) was donated to the city of Geneva
Awards, honours and affiliations
Member of: * Swiss Society of Natural Sciences * Botanical Society of Geneva, president 1903–1907 * Botanical Society of Switzerland * Geneva Society of Physical and Natural History, of which he was first treasurer, then president in 1914References
* *External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Candolle, Richard Emile Augustin de 19th-century Swiss botanists People from the canton of Geneva People educated at Rugby School Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Switzerland 1868 births 1920 deaths 20th-century Swiss botanists