James Buckman

James Buckman (November 20, 1814 – November 23, 1884) was a British pharmaceutical chemist, professor, museum curator, botanist, geologist, archaeologist, author and farmer.

Life

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Buckman was professor of geology, botany, and zoology at the Royal Agricultural College from 1848 to 1863. He founded the university's botanical garden, with which he conducted a number of important botanical experiments, some of which were even mentioned in Darwin's Origin of Species . However, this and other issues caused discord between Buckman and Royal Agricultural College's Principal, the Reverend John Constable. Buckman resigned his position and Constable ordered the botanical gardens to be destroyed.[1]

Buckman developed a variety of parsnip, the "Student" cultivar. There are herbarium specimens collected by James Buckman in the Charterhouse School Herbarium, housed at the University & Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley.

Family

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Buckman married in 1858 married Julia Savory (1834–1865), daughter of John Savory, a pharmacist. They had five children, among them Sydney Savory Buckman.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Torrens, HS. "James Buckman (1814–1884): the scientific career of an English Darwinian thwarted by religious prejudice." Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2009, v. 310, p. 245-258. doi:10.1144/SP310.24
  2. ^ Torrens, H. S. "Buckman, James". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/3871. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
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