John Hubert Craigie, (December 8, 1887 – February 26, 1989) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

plant pathologist. He is known for his "research and development of

rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...

-resistant

cereals A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize (Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, suc ...

which have been of vital significance to Canada as a cereal producing nation."

Biography

Born in Merigomish, Pictou County,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Craigie studied at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, and the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. He was a founding member of the Dominion Rust Research Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1925. In 1930, he received a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba. In 1926, he published "Discovery of the Function of the Pycnia of the Rust Fungi." From 1928 to 1945, he was in charge of the plant pathology section of the lab. From 1945 to 1952, he was the Dominion Botanist for the Department of Agriculture.

Honours

In 1952, he was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. While a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1967. He was awarded honorary degrees from the University of British Columbia (1946), the University of Saskatchewan (1948), Dalhousie University (1951), and the University of Manitoba (1959). He was a charter member of the Canadian Phytopathological Society. In 1942, he was awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Flavelle Medal. In 1930, he was awarded the International Society for Plant Pathology's Jakob Eriksson Prize.

References

1887 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Canadian botanists Canadian men centenarians Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada Canadian phytopathologists People from Pictou County University of Manitoba alumni Harvard University alumni University of Minnesota alumni Canadian expatriates in the United States {{Canada-botanist-stub