William Trelease

William Trelease (February 22, 1857, Mount Vernon, New York – January 1, 1945) was a American botanist, entomologist, explorer, writer and educator.

Trelease graduated B.S. from Cornell University in 1880. He was instructor in botany at Harvard University 1880-81, instructor in botany at the University of Wisconsin 1881-83, and professor of botany there from 1883 to 1885. He was also special lecturer in botany at Johns Hopkins University, and in charge of the summer school of botany at Harvard, during 1883-84. He was Engelmann professor of botany at Washington University in St. Louis from 1885 to 1913, and appointed director of the Missouri Botanical Garden from 1889 to 1912. He was active in a large number of municipal and professional academic associations: [Cattell, J. Y., "Leaders in eucation", 1932] he was the first President of the Botanical Society of America in 1894, [ [http://www.botany.org/about_bsa/history.php A Brief History - Botanical Society of America ] ] and served as President for a second time in 1918. [ [http://www.botany.org/about_bsa/president.php Presidents of the Botanical Society of America ] ] From 1913 to 1926 he was professor of botany and head of department at the University of Illinois.

Trelease was amongst the scientists on the two-month expedition to Alaska led by Edward Henry Harriman in 1899. [http://www.pbs.org/harriman/1899/1899_part/participanttrelease.htmlI] In 1932 he led a botanical expedition to the Canary Isles and Spain, and in 1933 an expedition to New Zealand. ["American men of science", 5th ed. 1933]

Trelease wrote a large number of scientific articles and monographs. His work on the Piperaceae of Northern South America, left unfinished at his death, was completed by his student Truman G. Yuncker. [ [http://library.nybg.org/finding_guide/archv/yuncker_ppf.html Guide to the Truman G. Yuncker Papers] at the New York Botanical Garden] He also wrote several more popular botanical and gardening books, such as "Plant materials of decorative gardening" (1917) and "Winter Botany" (1918).

References

External links

*Louis Otto Kunkel, [http://books.nap.edu/html/biomems/wtrelease.pdf "William Trelease, 1857-1945: A Biographical Memoir"]
* [http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/RMM02560.html Guide to the William Trelease Papers, (ca. 1862-1945)] held at Cornell University
* [http://www.library.uiuc.edu/archives/uasfa/1504022.pdf Guide to the William Trelease Papers, 1868-1945] held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
* [http://www.mobot.org/mobot/archives/results.asp?pagenum=1&selectby=subject&phrase=Trelease%2C+William%2C+1857-1945 Photographs of Trelease] at the Missouri Botanical Garden
*worldcat id|lccn-n89-644464