Thomas Conrad Porter

Thomas Conrad Porter (1822–1901) was an American botanist and theologian known as an expert on the flora of Pennsylvania.[1]

Thomas Conrad Porter
Thomas Conrad Porter, c. 1900
BornJanuary 22, 1822
Alexandria, Pennsylvania
DiedApril 27, 1901(1901-04-27) (aged 79)
Easton, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Alma materLafayette College
Scientific career
FieldsBotany
InstitutionsFranklin & Marshall College
Lafayette College
Author abbrev. (botany)Porter

Biography

Porter was born in Alexandria, Pennsylvania on January 22, 1822. He attended Harrisburg Academy before enrolling in Lafayette College at the age of 14. He graduated in 1840, and returned home to Alexandria and began to collect plants near Tussey Mountain. He went on to attend Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating in 1844. He moved down to Monticello, Georgia for a year as part of a Presbyterian mission. Here he collected at places such as Stone Mountain and Toccoa Falls, and began collaborating with Asa Gray.[2] He discovered Gymnolomia porteri during his time at Stone Mountain.[1]

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 as part of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories in the Rocky Mountains.[2]

He was personally interested Germanic literature and scholarly arts, and published several critiques in the field. He died in 1901.[2]

Legacy

Poter's herbarium was preserved as part of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.[2] The genera Porterella and Porteranthus were named for him,[1] as well as the species Aster porteri, Calamagrostis porteri, and Muhlenbergia porteri.[2]

Selected publications
  • Porter, Thomas Conrad (1860). German Hymnology. Mercersburg Review.
  • Porter, Thomas Conrad; Coulter, John Merle (1874). Synopsis of the Flora of Colorado. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  • Porter, Thomas Conrad (1893). A List of the Grasses of Pennsylvania. Torrey Botanical Club.
  • Porter, Thomas Conrad; Small, John Kunkel (1903). Flora of Pennsylvania. Ginn.
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References
  1. Heller, A. A. (1901). "Thomas Conrad Porter". The Plant World. 4 (7): 130–131. ISSN 0096-8307. JSTOR 43475709.
  2. Ewan, Joseph (1950). Rocky Mountain Naturalists. University of Denver Press. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  3. IPNI.  Porter.
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