McGill Library
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Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Balfour, John Hutton, 1808-1884
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Dates of existence
1808-1884
History
John Hutton Balfour was born on September 15, 1808, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
He was a Scottish botanist. He studied at St. Andrews University and Edinburgh University, graduating with degrees of M.A. and then M.D. His original intention was to be ordained in the Church of Scotland, but instead, he started a medical practice in Edinburgh in 1834. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1835. In 1841, he became a Professor of Botany, first at the University of Glasgow and then at the University of Edinburgh. With an interest in botany, Balfour was prominent in the foundation of both the Botanical Society of Edinburgh in 1836 and the Edinburgh Botanical Club in 1838. In 1862, he corresponded with Charles Darwin on botanical matters. He was also the 7th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Her Majesty's Botanist in 1845. He held these posts until his retirement in 1879. He was nicknamed Woody Fibre.
He died on February 11, 1884, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Authority record identifier
no 97032768