Biography

Welsh economic botanist and wood technologist from Conway, Wales who trained at University of Wales (BSc 1924, MSc 1935, DSc, 1963) and also carried out post-graduate studies (1928) with S.J. Record at the Yale University School of Forestry (Y). Williams specialised in tropical American woods and forest products, particularly latex-producing plants used commercially for gums and rubbers. He managed a tea estate in Assam (1924-1926) before being appointed to a position at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (1926-1952), initially as Dendrologist and subsequently as Curator of Economic Botany (1938-1952). He conducted extensive field research in South America, Mexico, Cuba, Thailand and the Philippines. During this time he was also Research Botanist for the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Venezuela (1938-1940, 1941-1942) and Senior Field Technician for the Rubber Development Corporation (1942-1945), an emergency World War II project to locate and extract rubber in the Upper Orinoco River valley.

After leaving the Field Museum, he was a consultant for the Wrigley Chewing Gum Company (1956-1960) and subsequently joined the United States Department of Agriculture (1961-1967) as Senior Economic Botanist, Crops Research Division where he studied the effects of chemical defoliants (1963-1967) for the United States Department of Defense. Williams was a founding member of the International Association of Wood Anatomists (1930) and Secretary of the Society for Economic Botany. Plants named in his honour include Guatteria williamsii R.E. Fr. from venezuela and Marcgravia williamsii J.F. Macbr. from Peru. Original collections and types are mainly at F but he is also responsible for a large percentage of the wood samples at MAD (formerly at Y) and there are substantial collections at US. Though primarily interested in trees, material of Williams at BM includes original pteridophytes collected (1938) with A.H.G. Alston.

Biography

Welsh economic botanist and wood technologist from Conway, Wales who trained at University of Wales (BSc 1924, MSc 1935, DSc, 1963) and also carried out post-graduate studies (1928) with S.J. Record at the Yale University School of Forestry (Y). Williams specialised in tropical American woods and forest products, particularly latex-producing plants used commercially for gums and rubbers. He managed a tea estate in Assam (1924-1926) before being appointed to a position at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (1926-1952), initially as Dendrologist and subsequently as Curator of Economic Botany (1938-1952). He conducted extensive field research in South America, Mexico, Cuba, Thailand and the Philippines. During this time he was also Research Botanist for the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Venezuela (1938-1940, 1941-1942) and Senior Field Technician for the Rubber Development Corporation (1942-1945), an emergency World War II project to locate and extract rubber in the Upper Orinoco River valley.

After leaving the Field Museum, he was a consultant for the Wrigley Chewing Gum Company (1956-1960) and subsequently joined the United States Department of Agriculture (1961-1967) as Senior Economic Botanist, Crops Research Division where he studied the effects of chemical defoliants (1963-1967) for the United States Department of Defense. Williams was a founding member of the International Association of Wood Anatomists (1930) and Secretary of the Society for Economic Botany. Plants named in his honour include Guatteria williamsii R.E. Fr. from venezuela and Marcgravia williamsii J.F. Macbr. from Peru. Original collections and types are mainly at F but he is also responsible for a large percentage of the wood samples at MAD (formerly at Y) and there are substantial collections at US. Though primarily interested in trees, material of Williams at BM includes original pteridophytes collected (1938) with A.H.G. Alston.

Biography

Welsh economic botanist and wood technologist from Conway, Wales who trained at University of Wales (BSc 1924, MSc 1935, DSc, 1963) and also carried out post-graduate studies (1928) with S.J. Record at the Yale University School of Forestry (Y). Williams specialised in tropical American woods and forest products, particularly latex-producing plants used commercially for gums and rubbers. He managed a tea estate in Assam (1924-1926) before being appointed to a position at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (1926-1952), initially as Dendrologist and subsequently as Curator of Economic Botany (1938-1952). He conducted extensive field research in South America, Mexico, Cuba, Thailand and the Philippines. During this time he was also Research Botanist for the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Venezuela (1938-1940, 1941-1942) and Senior Field Technician for the Rubber Development Corporation (1942-1945), an emergency World War II project to locate and extract rubber in the Upper Orinoco River valley.

After leaving the Field Museum, he was a consultant for the Wrigley Chewing Gum Company (1956-1960) and subsequently joined the United States Department of Agriculture (1961-1967) as Senior Economic Botanist, Crops Research Division where he studied the effects of chemical defoliants (1963-1967) for the United States Department of Defense. Williams was a founding member of the International Association of Wood Anatomists (1930) and Secretary of the Society for Economic Botany. Plants named in his honour include Guatteria williamsii R.E. Fr. from venezuela and Marcgravia williamsii J.F. Macbr. from Peru. Original collections and types are mainly at F but he is also responsible for a large percentage of the wood samples at MAD (formerly at Y) and there are substantial collections at US. Though primarily interested in trees, material of Williams at BM includes original pteridophytes collected (1938) with A.H.G. Alston.