Thomas Conrad Porter (1822–1901) was an American

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 ...

and theologian known as an expert on the flora of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Biography

Porter was born in

Alexandria, Pennsylvania Alexandria is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 388 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all land. Demographics As of the ...

on January 22, 1822. He attended

Harrisburg Academy Harrisburg Academy is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The school has a diverse student body in nursery through 12th grade. The school was established in 1784 by John Har ...

before enrolling in

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

at the age of 14. He graduated in 1840, and returned home to Alexandria and began to collect plants near

Tussey Mountain Tussey Mountain is a stratigraphy, stratigraphic ridge in central Pennsylvania, United States, trending east of the Bald Eagle Mountain, Bald Eagle, Brush Mountain (Blair County, Pennsylvania), Brush, Dunning Mountain, Dunning and Evitts Mountai ...

. He went on to attend

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

, graduating in 1844. He moved down to

Monticello, Georgia Monticello is the largest city in and the county seat of Jasper County, Georgia, United States. The city includes historic buildings such as the Jasper County Courthouse, Monticello High School, and the Monticello Historic District. The popu ...

for a year as part of a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

. Here he collected at places such as

Stone Mountain Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome Inselberg, monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state of Ge ...

and Toccoa Falls, and began collaborating with

Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botany, botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' (1876) was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessaril ...

. He discovered '' Gymnolomia porteri'' during his time at Stone Mountain. In 1849, Porter was brought on as a professor of natural sciences at Marshall College. He stayed at the institution until 1866. He then moved to Lafayette College as a professor of botany and zoology, staying until his retirement in 1897. Between 1869 and 1875, Porter worked under

Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (September 7, 1829 – December 22, 1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union A ...

as part of the

United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories The United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories was established by an act of Congress on 2 March 1867 as an agency under the Department of the Interior (later the United States General Land Office) tasked to complete a geogr ...

in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

. In 1864, he was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. He was personally interested in Germanic literature and scholarly arts, and published several critiques in the field. He died in 1901.

Legacy

Poter's herbarium was preserved as part of the

Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natur ...

. A small number of his collections are held in Australasian herbaria, including the

National Herbarium of Victoria The National Herbarium of Victoria (Index Herbariorum code: MEL) is one of Australia's earliest herbaria and the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. Its 1.56 million specimens of preserved plants, fungi and algae—collectively known ...

at the

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) are botanical garden, botanic gardens across two sites–Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Melbourne and Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land w ...

, and the

Auckland War Memorial Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum (), also known as Auckland Museum, is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory ...

Herbarium. The genera '' Porterella'' and '' Porteranthus'' were named for him, as well as the species '' Aster porteri'', '' Calamagrostis porteri'', and '' Muhlenbergia porteri''.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Thomas Conrad 1822 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American botanists