Annetta Mary Carter (June 28, 1907 – May 8, 1991) was an American botanist.

Early life

Carter was born on June 28, 1907, in

Sierra Madre, California Sierra Madre (Spanish language, Spanish for "mother range") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, with a population of 11,268 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley below the southern ...

. After the death of her mother, Carter's father spent the summers working in the

San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains () are a mountain range located in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert ...

as a fire guard, giving Carter the freedom to explore her surroundings and develop an appreciation for nature. Her interest in botany was encouraged and supported by her botany teacher at Pasadena High School.

Education and career

In 1928, Carter enrolled in the Botany program at the

University of California in Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. She graduated in 1930 with her A.B. in Botany. Her graduating class consisted on 7 women, including Mary L. Bowerman. Carter went on to pursue her master's degree with a focus in the morphology of floating liverwort. Her studies during the program were supervised by William Albert Setchell. After receiving her M.A. in 1932, Carter went on to work at the University of California, Berkeley Herbarium where she began as a mounter. She remained with the herbarium under the title Principal Herbarium Botanist until her retirement in 1968. Despite having officially retired, Carter continued to assist the herbarium as a Research Associate. Whilst employed at the herbarium, Carter began collecting throughout California.

Personal life and death

Carter died in Berkeley on May 8, 1991, at the age of 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Annetta 1907 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American botanists 20th-century American women scientists UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources alumni American women botanists