William Henry Harvey - Biography

Biography

William Henry Harvey was born at Summerville near Limerick, Ireland, in 1811, the youngest of 11 children. His father Joseph Massey Harvey, was a Quaker and prominent merchant. William started his education at Ballitore School in County Kildare and by the age of 15 had already established algae as his overriding interest. After leaving school he joined the family business.

Harvey was an authority on algae and bryophytes (mosses), and author of A Manual of the British Algae (1841), Phycologia Britannica (4 vols., 1846–51), Nereis Boreali-Americana. (3 parts 1852–85) and Phycologia Australica (5 vol., 1858–63). He spent several years in South Africa, and was the author, with Otto Wilhelm Sonder, of the Flora Capensis (7 vol. in 11, 1859 – 1933). Harvey's main algal herbarium is located at Trinity College, Dublin.

Harvey's discovery in 1831 of the moss Hookeria laetevirens at Killarney, new to Ireland, led to a lifelong friendship with Sir William Jackson Hooker, who was then Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University. Hooker recognised the talent of the young man and lent him books and specimens. Soon afterwards Hooker invited him to contribute the section on algae to his British Flora (1833) as well as the section on algae for The Botany of Captain Beechy's Voyage.

In 1835 Harvey went to South Africa aboard the vessel "Carnatic", with his brother Joseph who had been mistakenly nominated as Colonial Treasurer by Thomas Spring-Rice instead of William . When Joseph's health failed in the following year, William took over his duties. They left for Britain together on 14 April 1836 and Joseph died on the voyage. Back in Cape Town, and now officially Treasurer-General, William took up residence at Bishop's Court, rising before dawn every day, collecting in the mountains or sea-shore, and working on the plants at night. In March 1837 he wrote: 'I have taken so many excursions lately that I almost fear I shall earn the sobriquet of Her Majesty's pleasurer general'. In the same year he enlisted the services of Zeyher, who was in Uitenhage, to collect specimens. He developed a close friendship with Baron von Ludwig who had started his famous gardens in Cape Town, and dedicated his Genera of South African Plants to him. Under the patronage of Sir George Grey and with the assistance of a team of collectors and of Otto Wilhelm Sonder, he set about writing a Flora Capensis in English - he lived long enough to see the first three volumes completed and published in Dublin, the third in 1865. He came home in 1842. In 1853 he made a three year voyage, visiting South Africa, Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, and Chile. On his return he published further important books dealing with the botany of North America and South Africa.

As a result of the publication of his 1858 book, The genera of South African plants, in which he asked South African readers to send him specimens so that he could begin documenting the flora of the Cape, he began a correspondence with Mary Elizabeth Barber, an amateur naturalist who lived in Cape Colony. Their ongoing correspondence took place during a time when it was not generally accepted for women to engage in scientific discussion; indeed, in the beginning Barber did not disclose the fact that she was a woman. Barber became one of Harvey's main suppliers of plants from South Africa and also assisted him in the naming and classification of numerous species. Over a nearly 30-year correspondence, she sent Harvey approximately 1,000 species with notes on each one.

Harvey was curator of the Trinity College Herbarium (TCD) and Professor of Botany of the Royal Dublin Society.

Harvey described over 750 species and in excess of 75 genera of algae.

His Phycologia Britannica was published in 1846–1851 and his publication of Nereis Australis Or Algae of the Southern Ocean (1847–49) along with other publications established his reputation. His Phycologia Australica represents one of the most important books on phycology in the 19th century. Published in five volumes between 1858 and 1863 it is the result of his extensive collecting on the Australian shores.

By the time Harvey set foot in Western Australia he had already established himself as a leading phycologist having published several large works. He earned the title: "father of Australian Phycology". He died from tuberculosis on 15 May 1866 at Torquay and was buried there.

About 600 specimens from Ireland, Ceylon, Friendly Islands, Australia and Tasmania collected by Harvey are in store in the Ulster Museum Herbarium (BEL), almost 90 of which are in the 5th volume of the William Thompson collection in the Ulster Museum, catalogue numbers: F8848–F8937. However his primary collection is still in the TCD Herbarium attached to Botany School building of Trinity College. There are also collections of Harvey's specimens in: The former Botany Department of University College, Cork, Ireland; West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.; National Herbarium of Victoria (MEL), Melbourne, Australia; National Herbarium of New South Wales (NSW), Sydney, Australia and the Herbarium of St. Andrews University (STA).

In Harvey's era it is clear that there was much exchanging of specimens. In his Phycologia Britannica Harvey often notes the "distribution" of each species giving the name of the collector who reported the record. In the Preface of Vol. 1 he lists 19 people to whom he is indebted. These includes: Rev. Mr. Pollexfen and Dr. McBain for Orkney algae, the others are: Rev. Mr.Hore, Dr.Cocks, Mr. Rohloff, Mr. Boswarva, Miss White, Miss Magdalene Turner, Miss Warren, Miss (Anne) Ball, Miss (Isabella) Gifford (1823?–1891)(4), Miss Cutler (1), Mrs Gatty (1809–1873), Mrs Gulson (?–1871)(5), Mrs Hayden, Rev. Dr. Landsborough, Dr. Dickie (2), Mr. Ralfs and Mr. Cresswell. Others noted in volume 1 include: Mr. Winch, Mr. McCalla (c.1814–1849)(3), Mr. Wigg, Mr. Borrer, Miss Hutchins, Mr. John Templeton (Botanist), Mr. T.N.Cole, Rev. Mr. Clouston, Rev. H. Davies (Mr.) Stackhouse, Mrs. Ovens, Mr. W.Backhouse, James Dr. P. Neill and others. Harvey recognised Magdalene Turner's help named Cladophora magdalenae Harv. in her honour. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Harv. when citing a botanical name.