Volney Morgan Spalding (January 29, 1849 – November 12, 1918) 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 ...

affiliated with the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

for twenty-eight years, and for most of this period was head of the botany department. Spalding was born in East Bloomfield, New York, the son of Frederick Austin and Almira (Shaw) Spalding. His father was of English descent and his mother of Scotch-Irish descent. He received a preliminary education in the public schools of Gorham, New York, and

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. He entered the

in 1869 and was graduated Bachelor of Arts in 1873. His further preparation for professional life included work in Cryptogamic and Physiological Botany 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 ...

, in Anatomy at Cornell, in Histology at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, and in Plant Physiology at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The university was established in 1558 and is cou ...

. The years from 1892 to 1894 he spent at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

, where he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the conclusion of his studies. The years from 1873 to 1876 were spent in public school work, first as principal of the Battle Creek High School, and later of the Flint High School. He was called to the University of Michigan in 1876, and filled the following positions successively: Instructor in Zoology and Botany, 1876-1879; Assistant Professor of Botany, 1879-1881; Acting Professor of Botany, 1881-1886; Professor of Botany, 1886-1904. He resigned his professorship in 1904 to reside in a more salubrious climate, and became connected with the Desert Botanical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution, at

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, with his wife Effie A. Southworth. He is the author of "Guide to the Study of Common Plants and Introduction to Botany" (1894), and of a large number of papers in the scientific journals. He was a member of the Michigan Academy of Science, and was its president in 1898. He was also a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, a member of the Association Internationale des Botanistes, and an honorary member of the

Society of American Foresters The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a professional organization representing the forestry industry in the United States. Its mission statement declares that it seeks to "advance the science, education, and practice of forestry; to enhance t ...

. He was married in 1876 to Harriet Hubbard; and some years after her death, to botanist Effie A. Southworth.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spalding, Volney Morgan 1849 births 1918 deaths American botanists University of Michigan faculty University of Michigan alumni Leipzig University alumni People from East Bloomfield, New York Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science American people of English descent American people of Scotch-Irish descent Scientists from New York (state)