Coulter, John Merle, 1851-1928

Epithet: of the Department of Botany University of Chicago

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000974.0x00037f

Botanist. A.B., Hanover College, 1870; A.M., 1873; Ph. D., Hanover College and Indiana University, 1882. Professor of natural sciences, Hanover College, 1874-1879. Professor of biology, Wabash College, 1879-1891. President and professor of Botany, Indiana University, 1891-1893. President, Lake Forest University, 1893-1896. Professor and head of the Department of Botany, University of Chicago, 1896-1925; professor emeritus, 1825-1828.

From the description of Papers, 1845-1929 (inclusive). (University of Chicago Library). WorldCat record id: 52246387

John Merle Coulter (1851-1928), was born in China to Presbyterian missionaries Moses and Caroline Coulter. He received an AB (1870) and an AM (1873) from Hanover College, then completed a PhD at Indiana State University in 1882.

Coulter served as Professor of Natural Sciences at Hanover College from 1874 to 1879 and Professor of Biology at Wabash College from 1879 to 1891. From 1891 to 1893, he was President of Indiana State University, then of Lake Forest College, from 1893-1896. In 1896, he became Chair of the Botany Department at the University of Chicago, where he remained until his retirement in 1925. In retirement, Coulter worked with the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research in Yonkers, New York.

In addition to his academic appointments, Coulter served as Assistant Geologist and Botanist for the Hayden Survey of what is now Yellowstone National Park (1872) and, in 1875, co-founded the Botanical Bulletin, soon renamed the Botanical Gazette. A staunch evolutionist and Presbyterian, he had a particular interest in the correlation of science and religion.

From the guide to the Coulter, John Merle. Papers, 1845-1929, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)