John Kunkel Small

Early life and education

Small was born on January 31, 1869, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He studied botany at Franklin & Marshall College, receiving his Bachelor's degree in 1892. Then he studied at Columbia University, where he earned a doctorate in philosophy in 1895 and a doctorate in science in 1912.

Career

| access-date = 2009-08-08 | archive-date = 2010-07-13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100713013658/http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/libr/finding_guide/small.asp | url-status = dead

Small was an early botanical explorer of Florida, documenting many species for the first time, although the flora and fauna were well known to the local Seminole people. His first trip to the region was in 1901. Over the next 37 years, Small visited many times "to collect specimens, to study the natural history of the region, and to photograph natural landscapes, tropical plants, Seminoles and other local folk". Small explored by both car and boat, often bringing along his wife Elizabeth, and their four children.

In 1928, Small worked with Thomas Edison on a project to study ferns in Florida and determine whether a commercially viable natural rubber could be extracted from them.

"Small's botanical research was recorded in 450 published works, mostly articles, and numerous unpublished typescripts. Among his most well-known publications is the book From Eden to Sahara: Florida's Tragedy, which received acclaim in 1929 for documenting the severe deterioration of south Florida's botanical resources that he had observed up to that time."

Death

Small died of heart disease on January 20, 1938, at the age of 68, at his home in the Bronx.

References

Citations

Sources

• Core, Earl L. (1938), "John Kunkel Small", Castanea, 3:27-28.
• Austin, Daniel F. et al. The Florida of John Kunkel Small. Bronx, NY: The New York Botanical Garden, 1987. .

Bibliography

References

1. (1938-01-21). "DR. JOHN K. SMALL, BOTANIST, WAS 68; Curator and the Director of Research at New York Botanical Garden Dies". [[The New York Times]].
2. Triebel, D. & Scholz, P. 2001–2025 ''IndExs – Index of Exsiccatae''. Botanische Staatssammlung München: http://indexs.botanischestaatssammlung.de. – München, Germany.
3. "Mosses of the Southern United States, distributed from the Herbarium of Columbia College by John K. Small: IndExs ExsiccataID=1901603839". Botanische Staatssammlung München.
4. "Lichens of Eastern North America: IndExs ExsiccataID=17423570". Botanische Staatssammlung München.
5. Austin 1987. p. 5.
6. "Everglades Digital Library - John Kunkel Small".