Alice Crane Haskins Swingle (1880-1971) was an American government
botanist
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
.
With her husband, botanist Deane Bret Swingle (1879–1944), she co-authored the 1928 book ''A Textbook of Systematic Botany''.
[Swingle, Deane B., with Alice H. Swingle (1928). ''A Textbook of Systematic Botany.'' McGraw-Hill]
Life and career
Haskins was born on 24 April 1880, in
Acton, Massachusetts
Acton is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, approximately west-northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston along Massachusetts Route 2 west of Concord, Massachusetts, Concord and about southwest of Lowell ...
to Helen A. Crane and John R. Haskins. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
in 1903. Haskins worked as a research assistant in the Plant Pathology Laboratory of the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
from 1903 to 1906.
Erwin Frink Smith
Erwin Frink Smith (January 21, 1854 – April 6, 1927) was an American plant pathologist with the United States Department of Agriculture. He played a major role in demonstrating that bacteria could cause plant disease.
Life and career
Smith wa ...
, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's plant pathologist
Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...
-in-charge, regularly employed women botanists in the Bureau of Plant Industry to study plant diseases. Haskins was among the group, which included
Nellie A. Brown,
Clara H. Hasse,
Florence Hedges,
Agnes J. Quirk, Della Watkins, and
Mary K. Bryan working on such agricultural problems as
crown galls,
citrus canker
Citrus canker is a disease affecting ''Citrus'' species caused by the bacterium '' Xanthomonas citri''. Infection causes lesions on the leaves, stems, and fruit of citrus trees, including lime, oranges, and grapefruit. While not harmful to huma ...
s, and corn and
chestnut blight
The pathogenic fungus ''Cryphonectria parasitica'' (formerly ''Endothia parasitica'') is a member of the Ascomycota (sac fungi). This necrotrophic fungus is native to East Asia and South East Asia and was introduced into Europe and North America ...
.
In 1906, she married Swingle, a fellow botanist and laboratory colleague, then moved to
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...
, where Swingle became Professor of Botany and Bacteriology at Montana State College of Agriculture (later
Montana State University
Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...
).
Haskins died on 16 October 1971, in
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns i ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
Alice Haskinsvia
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
Smith College alumni
20th-century American botanists
1880 births
1971 deaths
Montana State University faculty
United States Department of Agriculture people
20th-century American women scientists
American women academics
People from Acton, Massachusetts
Biologists from Massachusetts
Academics from Massachusetts
American women botanists
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