![Sereno Watson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Sereno_Watson.png)
Sereno Watson (December 1, 1826 in
East Windsor Hill,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
– March 9, 1892 in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
) 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 ...
.
Graduating from
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
in 1847 in Biology, he drifted through various occupations until, in California, he joined the
Clarence King
Clarence Rivers King (January 6, 1842 – December 24, 1901) was an American geologist, mountaineer and author. He was the first director of the United States Geological Survey from 1879 to 1881. Nominated by Republican President Rutherford B. Hay ...
Expedition and eventually became its expedition botanist. Appointed by
Asa Gray
Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually excl ...
as assistant in the
Gray Herbarium
The Harvard University Herbaria and Botanical Museum are institutions located on the grounds of Harvard University at 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Botanical Museum is one of three which comprise the Harvard Museum of Natural ...
of
Harvard University
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 ...
in 1873, he later became its
curator
A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...
, a position he maintained until his death.
Watson was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
in 1874,
and a member of the
National Academy of Sciences in 1889.
Works
* ''Botany'', in ''Report of the geological exploration of the 40th parallel made ... by Clarence King'', 1871
*
* Publications by and about S. Watso
on WorldCat
References
External links
Biographical sketch at the Gray Herbarium siteBiographical memoir National Academy of Sciences
Obituary, page 441Portrait (plate VI) and obituaryby
John Merle Coulter
John Merle Coulter, Ph. D. (November 20, 1851 – December 23, 1928) was an American botanist and educator. In his career in education administration, Coulter is notable for serving as the president of Indiana University and Lake Forest College a ...
(137–141)
*
American taxonomists
1826 births
1892 deaths
Botanists active in California
Botanists active in North America
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Harvard University staff
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
People from South Windsor, Connecticut
Yale University alumni
19th-century American botanists
{{US-botanist-stub