Sir James Hector (16 March 1834 – 6 November 1907) was a Scottish-New Zealand geologist,
naturalist
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
, and surgeon who accompanied the
Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist. He went on to have a lengthy career as a government employed man of science in New Zealand, and during this period he dominated the colony's scientific institutions in a way that no single person has since.
Early life
He was born at 11 Danube Street in
Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Stockbridge is a district of Edinburgh, located north of the city centre, bounded by the New Town, Edinburgh, New Town and by Comely Bank. The name is Scots ''stock brig'' from Anglic languages, Anglic ''stocc brycg'', meaning a timber bridge. ...
the son of Alexander Hector WS and his wife, Margaret Macrostie.
He attended the
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...
from 1844 to 1845. At 14, he began articles as an
actuary
An actuary is a professional with advanced mathematical skills who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. These risks can affect both sides of the balance sheet and require investment management, asset management, ...
at his father's office. He joined
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
as a medical student and received his
medical degree
A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...
in 1856 at the age of 22.
Palliser expedition
Shortly after receiving his medical degree, upon the recommendation of Sir
Roderick Murchison
Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, 1st Baronet (19 February 1792 – 22 October 1871) was a Scottish geologist who served as director-general of the British Geological Survey from 1855 until his death in 1871. He is noted for investigating and desc ...
– director-general of the
British Geological Survey
The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance Earth science, geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. ...
– Hector was appointed geologist on the
Palliser Expedition under the command of
John Palliser
John Palliser (29 January 1817 – 18 August 1887) was an Irish-born geographer and explorer. Following his service in the Waterford Militia and hunting excursions to the North American prairies, he led the British North American Explorin ...
. The goal of the Palliser expedition to
British North America
British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...
(now Canada) was to explore new railway routes for the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
and to collect new species of plants.
In 1858, when Palliser's expedition was exploring a
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...
near the
continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
of the
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies () or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...
, one of Hector's
packhorse
A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...
s fell into the river. As it was being pulled from the water, his own horse strayed and, when chasing after it, Hector records, he was kicked in the chest and knocked unconscious. He wrote in his diary of the expedition: "In attempting to recatch my own horse, which had strayed off while we were engaged with the one in the water, he kicked me in the chest". His companions, thinking him dead, dug a grave for him and prepared to put him in. His premature burial was cancelled when he regained consciousness. The pass and nearby river have been known since as
Kicking Horse Pass
Kicking Horse Pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta–British Columbia border, and lying within Yoho and Banff national parks. Divide Creek forks onto both ...
and
Kicking Horse River
The Kicking Horse River is in the Canadian Rockies of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The river was named in 1858, when James Hector, a member of the Palliser Expedition, reported being kicked by his packhorse while exploring the river. Hec ...
.
[Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, ''Canadian Geographic'', Jan/Feb 2008, p. 24]
The legend of the kicking horse is now firmly established in popular Canadian history. However, as politely noted by the Palliser scholar Irene Spry, it "embodies Hector's not always accurate reminiscences about the Expedition". The only member of the expedition who outlived Hector and who could verify what actually happened was the Métis Peter Erasmus, and his account does not support Hector's. According to Erasmus:
The doctor was knocked unconscious. We all leapt from our horses and rushed up to him, but all our attempts to help him recover his senses were of no avail. We then carried him to the shade of some big evergreens while we pitched camp. We were now in serious trouble, and unless Nimrod fetched in game our situation looked hopeless. One man stayed and watched the unconscious doctor. The rest of us took turns trying to catch trout that we could see in the clear mountain water of the river. Dr. Hector must have been unconscious for at least two hours when Sutherland yelled for us to come up; he was now conscious but in great pain. He asked for his kit and directed me to prepare some medicine that would ease the pain. I had him sign a document stating the facts of the accident in case his illness might prove serious. He readily agreed that it would be the proper thing to do.
In 1903 during a visit to Canada, Hector said of his mishap in Kicking Horse Pass, "When I regained consciousness, my grave was dug and they were preparing to put me in it. So that's how Kicking Horse got its name and how I came to have a grave in this part of the world."
New Zealand
Following his return to Britain after the Palliser expedition, Hector again secured a paid scientific position with Roderick Murchison's and
Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
Hooker had serv ...
's help. In April 1862 he arrived in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
in New Zealand to conduct a three-year geological survey of
Otago
Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...
, soon after the discovery of gold there. Hector travelled throughout the south of New Zealand's
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...
to assess its potential for settlement and to record the location of useful minerals. He also assembled a staff of half a dozen men to assist with such tasks as fossil collecting, chemical analysis, and botanical and zoological taxonomy. Some of these men, such as
William Skey (mineral analyst), Richard Gore (clerk), and
John Buchanan (botanical artist and draftsman), stayed with him for many years.
As part of the survey, a Geological Map of Otago was created, known as Hector's Map. In 1865 a "Sketch Map of the Geology of New Zealand" was produced, and in 1869 it was revised and published by the Government Printing Office in New Zealand; giving a synthesis of New Zealand geological research in the first geological map of the country.
Chief government scientist
In 1865 Hector was appointed to found the
Geological Survey of New Zealand
GNS Science (), officially registered as the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, is a New Zealand Crown Research Institutes, Crown Research Institute. It focuses on geology, geophysics (including seismology and volcanology), a ...
, and he moved to
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
to supervise the construction of the
Colonial Museum, which was to be the Survey's headquarters. As the chief government-employed scientist, Hector gave politicians advice on questions as diverse as exporting wool to Japan and improving fibre production from New Zealand flax. He was the first manager of the Wellington Botanic Gardens on their opening in 1869. He went on to develop the Gardens with the New Zealand Institute (now known as the Royal Society of New Zealand) for 22 years. His political influence was underlined by his marriage in 1868 to Maria Georgiana Monro, daughter of the
speaker
Speaker most commonly refers to:
* Speaker, a person who produces speech
* Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound
** Computer speakers
Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* "Speaker" (song), by David ...
of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
,
David Monro.
Hector managed the colony's premier scientific society – the
New Zealand Institute (now known as the
Royal Society of New Zealand
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family or royalty
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal ...
) – for thirty-five years. He was the first manager of the Wellington Botanic Gardens on their opening in 1869, developing the gardens with the New Zealand Institute for 22 years.
From 1885 he was chancellor of the
University of New Zealand
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
. He controlled virtually every aspect of state-funded science. He had close and, at times, tense relationships with other men of science, in particular
Julius von Haast
Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast (1 May 1822 – 16 August 1887) was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch.
Early life
Johann Franz Julius Haast was born on 1 May 1822 in Bo ...
in Christchurch; e.g. (1871–74) over the "Sumner Cave" relics in Christchurch, the Moa and whether the early Moa-hunters were
Moriori
The Moriori are the first settlers of the Chatham Islands ( in Moriori language, Moriori; in Māori language, Māori). Moriori are Polynesians who came from the New Zealand mainland around 1500 AD, which was close to the time of the ...
as Haast maintained.
At the end of his career he was criticised for failing to acquire
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
artefacts for the Colonial Museum and in 1891 for not adequately defending his departments from the new
Liberal Government's funding cuts. In 1891 the Liberals replaced the conservative
Continuous Ministry with which he had been associated. In 1902, for example, the ethnographer
Elsdon Best
Elsdon Best (30 June 1856 – 9 September 1931) was an ethnographer who made important contributions to the study of the Māori of New Zealand.
Early years
Elsdon Best was born 30 June 1856 at Tawa Flat, New Zealand, to William Best and the fo ...
wrote to
Augustus Hamilton
Augustus Hamilton (1 March 1853 – 12 October 1913) was a New Zealand ethnologist, biologist and museum director. He was born in Poole, Dorset, England on 1 March 1853. He wrote on the fishing and seafoods of the ancient Māori people. He also w ...
, the future director of the Colonial Museum, to state that Hector should be forced from office and that they should ''put a live man in his place''.
Retirement
Hector retired in 1903, after four decades at the centre of organised science in New Zealand. He was president of the
Royal Society of New Zealand
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family or royalty
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal ...
between 1906 and 1907; preceded by
Frederick Hutton and followed by
George Malcolm Thomson.
He died in
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...
, New Zealand, in 1907,
and was buried at
Taitā Cemetery.
Family
Hector married Maria Georgiana Monro at Nelson on 30 December 1868, three years after moving to Wellington. She was the daughter of politician
David Monro, who was at the time the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Her brother was
Charles John Monro
Charles John Monro (5 April 1851 – 9 April 1933), sometimes also referred to as Charles Munro in accordance with his Clan Munro, clan name, is credited with introducing rugby union to New Zealand.
Early life
Monro was born on 5 April 1851 in ...
, who first introduced Rugby to New Zealand.
James and Georgiana build a house ''Ratanui'' in 1882, on the Western Hutt hills overlooking
Petone
Petone (Māori language, Māori: ''Pito-one'') is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. It stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. Europeans first settled in Petone in Januar ...
. They had nine children, six boys and three girls:
Barclay (1869–1964), Charles Monro (1871–1935), Constance Margart (1873–1949), David Carmichael (1874–1875), Douglas (1877–1903), Philip Landale (1878–1879), Lyell (1882–1908), Georgina (1884–1979) and Marjory (1886–1948).
In 1875 the first four children were left in Nelson while their parents visited Britain; David, the youngest died of pneumonia. Charles (like his father) studied medicine at Edinburgh University and became a Lower Hutt GP. Douglas died in Canada of appendicitis while on holiday there with his father. In 1906 Constance married Lionel Saxby and Georgina married Richard Barton.
Hector corresponded with the botanist
Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
Hooker had serv ...
in London, and looked after two of Hooker's sons (Willy and Brian) when they came to New Zealand.
In 1937, several members of Hector's family donated 16 medals awarded to him during his career to the Dominion Museum, later to become
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand ...
.
Honours
After the Canadian expedition, Hector was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in June 1866. In 1877, he was awarded the
Lyell Medal
The Lyell Medal is a prestigious annual scientific medal given by the Geological Society of London, equal in status to the Murchison Medal. This medal is awarded based on one Earth Scientist's exceptional contribution of research to the scientific ...
by the Geological Society of London, being the second recipient of this prestigious medal. In 1878 the Royal Society of New South Wales awarded him the
Clarke Medal
The Clarke Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales, the oldest learned society in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, for distinguished work in the Natural sciences.
The medal is named in honour of the Reverend William Branwh ...
awarded to Global scientific achievement.
In 1875, he was appointed a
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...
and in 1887 was appointed a
Knight Commander
Knight Commander (or Dame Commander) is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are dormant (and one of them continues as a German house order). The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the rec ...
of the same order.
The
Geoscience Society of New Zealand commemorates his birthday, March 16, as Hector Day.
Eponymy
A number of things have been named after Hector, including:
* The
Hector Memorial Medal
The Hector Medal, formerly known as the Hector Memorial Medal, is a science award given by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in memory of Sir James Hector to researchers working in New Zealand. It is awarded annually in rotation for different scienc ...
awarded annually by the Royal Society of New Zealand for outstanding work in chemical, physical or mathematical and information sciences to a researcher in New Zealand.
* The library of the
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand ...
was called the Hector Library until 2001; it is now called
Te Aka Matua Library & Information Centre.'' It consists of the merged collections of the
Dominion Museum
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand a ...
, the National Art Gallery, the
Royal Society of New Zealand
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family or royalty
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal ...
, and the Wellington Branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand. A portrait of Hector hangs just inside the door.
* The
Hector Observatory, located in the
Wellington Botanic Garden
Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā is a botanical garden close to central Wellington in New Zealand. It covers of land in a valley between Thorndon, New Zealand, Thorndon and Kelburn, New Zealand, Kelburn, with Glenmore Street as a bounda ...
and later renamed the Dominion Observatory
* The James Hector Pinetum and Memorial Lookout
in the
Wellington Botanic Garden
Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā is a botanical garden close to central Wellington in New Zealand. It covers of land in a valley between Thorndon, New Zealand, Thorndon and Kelburn, New Zealand, Kelburn, with Glenmore Street as a bounda ...
*
Mount Hector located in the southern
Tararua Range
The Tararua Range, often referred to as the Tararua Ranges or Tararua, is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand.
The Tararua Range runs northeast–southwest for from near Palmerston North to the upper reaches of ...
*
Mount Hector located in
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada, Canada's first National Parks of Canada, national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous ter ...
*
Hector
In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...
, West Coast
* The lost fossil of a massive
ichthyosaur
Ichthyosauria is an order of large extinct marine reptiles sometimes referred to as "ichthyosaurs", although the term is also used for wider clades in which the order resides.
Ichthyosaurians thrived during much of the Mesozoic era; based on fo ...
(potentially a
Shastasaurid
Shastasauridae is an extinct family of ichthyosaurs from the Late Triassic with a possible Early Jurassic record. The family contains the largest known species of ichthyosaurs, which include some of and possibly the largest known marine reptiles. ...
), discovered in New Zealand by
Richard Lydekker
Richard Lydekker (; 25 July 1849 – 16 April 1915) was a British naturalist, geologist and writer of numerous books on natural history. He was known for his contributions to zoology, paleontology, and biogeography. He worked extensively in cata ...
was given the nickname
Hector's Ichthyosaur
A number of species and subspecies have been named after Hector, including:
* The
buff weka, ''Gallirallus australis hectori''
*
Hector's beaked whale
Hector's beaked whale (''Mesoplodon hectori'') is a small mesoplodont living in the Southern Hemisphere. This whale is named after Sir James Hector, a founder of the colonial museum in Wellington, New Zealand. The species has rarely been seen i ...
, ''Mesoplodon hectori''
*
Hector's dolphin, ''Cephalorhynchus hectori''
* a New Zealand land snail, ''Huonodon hectori''
* a New Zealand lamp shell, ''Pachymagas hectori''
* a genus of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s belonging to the family
Montiaceae
Montiaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising about 14 genera with about 230 known species, ranging from small herbaceous plants to shrubs. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution.
The family Montiaceae was newly adopted in the APG ...
, ''
Hectorella''
Further reading
*
See also
*
Fiddle Peak
*
:Taxa named by James Hector
References
External links
*
James Hector in Collections Online, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaBiography in 1966 ''Encyclopaedia of New Zealand*
*
ttp://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/exhibitions/JamesHector/default.aspx Sir James Hector website by the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hector, James
1834 births
1907 deaths
Scientists from Edinburgh
Scottish geologists
Scottish explorers of North America
Explorers of British Columbia
People educated at Edinburgh Academy
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
19th-century Scottish medical doctors
20th-century New Zealand geologists
19th-century New Zealand geologists
Scottish emigrants to New Zealand
Scottish naturalists
New Zealand fellows of the Royal Society
Lyell Medal winners
Scottish surgeons
People associated with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Geologic maps
Presidents of the Royal Society of New Zealand
People associated with Otago Museum