Henry A. Gleason Records (RG4)

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Biography of Henry A. Gleason

Henry A. (Henry Allan) Gleason (1882-1975) was born in Dalton City, Ill. on Jan. 2, 1882. He began his studies in botany at the age of 13 and published his first contribution in “The American Naturalist” while still in high school. He received his BS and MA from the University of Illinois. After a year as a fellow at the University of Ohio and a summer as the invertebrate zoologist on a survey of Isle Royale sponsored by the University of Michigan, Gleason began his studies in taxonomy under Nathaniel Lord Britton at Columbia University, graduating with a PhD. in 1906.

After teaching at the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan, Dr. Gleason studied tropical vegetation for one year, travelling to the Philippines, Java and Ceylon.

In 1918 he delivered a lecture on his findings to the Torrey Botanical Club. Following that talk, Nathaniel Lord Britton offered Gleason a permanent position at the New York Botanical Garden.

In his 30 years with the New York Botanical Garden, Dr. Gleason served in a variety of capacities including curator, head curator, and assistant director. He was acting director for 19 months between 1936 and 1938. Gleason served at various times as editor of the Garden Journal, Addisonia, and the Bulletin. He edited a revised and expanded edition of North American Flora and Plants of the Vicinity of New York and in 1933, he founded the journal Phytologia, along with Harold Moldenke.

A taxonomist and ecologist, Dr. Gleason was responsible for the development of the South American collections at the New York Botanical Garden. His specialty was the Melastomacea.

Dr. Gleason served as Vice-President of the Pacaraima-Venezuela Expedition co-sponsored by the NYBG, the American Museum of Natural History and the National Geographic Society. Dr. Gleason was responsible for over 235 contributions to the field of vascular botany.

One of the first ecologists, he considered his idea that the “combination of morphological and geographical evidence can be of greatest service in developing the phylogeny and history of a group of plants” to be his primary theoretical contribution. He is identified with the individualistic concept of plant association which has been a strong influence on both ecological and geographical studies of vegetation.

He married one of his students at the University of Michigan, the former Eleanor Theodolinda (Thea) Mattei in 1915. They had three children, Henry Allan, Jr., a linguist at the University of Ontario, Anne and Andrew Mattei.

Gleason retired from the New York Botanical Garden in 1951. During his retirement, Dr. Gleason wrote an autobiography, “The Short and Simple Annals of Henry A. Gleason” housed in his Papers and a volume of “Thumbnail Sketches of Botanists”, a reference copy of which is shelved in the Library. He died on April 12, 1975.

Notes:

“ Autobiography, n.d.”, Series 1: Biographical Material, Records of Henry A. Gleason, Record Group 4, Library, New York Botanical Garden.

Scope and Content

The Henry Allan Gleason Records, 1921-1975, documents the scientific and administrative career of Dr. Gleason at the New York Botanic Garden. The bulk of the material consists of correspondence generated in his capacities as head curator, assistant director and acting director of the institution. Other materials are photographs and printed, typewritten and manuscript articles and botanical descriptions; especially material related to his life work- a comprehensive study of the flora of British Guiana. Gleason's Field Collection Notebooks (Vol. 94, 95) from his trip to Northern South America and G. H. H. Tate's Field Collection Notebook (Vol. 98) from the Pacaraima-Venezuela Expedition to Mt. Duida in 1939 have been removed and is located in the Collectors' Field Notebooks collection (CFN). A collection of notebooks containing illustrations, citation data and research notes on Melastomataceae compiled by Gleason and J. J. Wurdack was given to the Archives in 2003. The collection is arranged into seven series.

Restrictions

Access restrictions

This collection is open for research with permission from Mertz Library staff.

Copyright

Requests for permission to publish material from the collection should be submitted in writing to the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden.

Related Material

New York Botanical Garden

RG4--Elmer Drew Merrill Records

RG4--Records of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists

PP--The Henry A. Gleason Papers

Columbia University, Oral History Project: William Steere

Separated Material

Series 6: Field Notebooks (2 notebooks) have been removed and relocated to the Field Collectors' Notebooks collections. They are cataloged as Vols. 94 and 95.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Henry A. Gleason Records (RG4), Archives, The New York Botanical Garden.

Acquisition Information

This collection was transferred to the New York Botanical Archives.

Processing Information

Originally processed by Laura Zelasnic, Project Archivist, January 1999, with grant funding from The National Endowment for the Humanities. (NEH-PA 23141-98). Converted to EAD in August 2006 by Kathleene Konkle under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH-PA 50678-04). Updated June 2009.

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