Biography

Naturalist and author born in Leicester, United Kingdom, Ernest Palmer emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1878 and settled in Webb City, Missouri. His education was cut short when his father suffered a physical collapse and Ernest had to seek employment to support the family. He was interested in natural sciences and began collecting his local flora, in 1913 collecting professionally for the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO) and in 1921 for the Arnold Arboretum (A), where he was offered a formal post by C.S. Sargent. During his career he collected in almost every state of the United States and specialised in the genera Crataegus and Quercus. In addition to botanical collections, he made a collection of early Amerindian artifacts which was later left to Alfred J. Fordham. At the age of 55 he married Elizabeth McDougal, a bacteriologist at the Massachusetts State Laboratory. He retired from the Arboretum in 1948 and returned to Webb City where he published a book of poetry. He donated almost half of all the specimens he collected to the University of Missouri Herbarium (UMO) in 1962, and died on 25 February 1962 aged 87. Not to be confused with Edward Palmer (1831-1911), who collected somewhat earlier (1853-1910), or several similarly named collectors. Reference to collections made by Ernest Jesse Palmer in Mexico or before 1913 are probably confused with those of Edward Palmer.

Biography

Naturalist and author born in Leicester, United Kingdom, Ernest Palmer emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1878 and settled in Webb City, Missouri. His education was cut short when his father suffered a physical collapse and Ernest had to seek employment to support the family. He was interested in natural sciences and began collecting his local flora, in 1913 collecting professionally for the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO) and in 1921 for the Arnold Arboretum (A), where he was offered a formal post by C.S. Sargent. During his career he collected in almost every state of the United States and specialised in the genera Crataegus and Quercus. In addition to botanical collections, he made a collection of early Amerindian artifacts which was later left to Alfred J. Fordham. At the age of 55 he married Elizabeth McDougal, a bacteriologist at the Massachusetts State Laboratory. He retired from the Arboretum in 1948 and returned to Webb City where he published a book of poetry. He donated almost half of all the specimens he collected to the University of Missouri Herbarium (UMO) in 1962, and died on 25 February 1962 aged 87. Not to be confused with Edward Palmer (1831-1911), who collected somewhat earlier (1853-1910), or several similarly named collectors. Reference to collections made by Ernest Jesse Palmer in Mexico or before 1913 are probably confused with those of Edward Palmer.

Biography

Naturalist and author born in Leicester, United Kingdom, Ernest Palmer emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1878 and settled in Webb City, Missouri. His education was cut short when his father suffered a physical collapse and Ernest had to seek employment to support the family. He was interested in natural sciences and began collecting his local flora, in 1913 collecting professionally for the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO) and in 1921 for the Arnold Arboretum (A), where he was offered a formal post by C.S. Sargent. During his career he collected in almost every state of the United States and specialised in the genera Crataegus and Quercus. In addition to botanical collections, he made a collection of early Amerindian artifacts which was later left to Alfred J. Fordham. At the age of 55 he married Elizabeth McDougal, a bacteriologist at the Massachusetts State Laboratory. He retired from the Arboretum in 1948 and returned to Webb City where he published a book of poetry. He donated almost half of all the specimens he collected to the University of Missouri Herbarium (UMO) in 1962, and died on 25 February 1962 aged 87. Not to be confused with Edward Palmer (1831-1911), who collected somewhat earlier (1853-1910), or several similarly named collectors. Reference to collections made by Ernest Jesse Palmer in Mexico or before 1913 are probably confused with those of Edward Palmer.