McNair, James Birtley, 1889-1967

James Birtley McNair (1889-1967), American chemist and botanist, specializing in economic and chemical botany. He was born in Hazleton, Pa., son of Thomas Speer McNair and Mary Stevens McNair. He received his A. M. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1917. In 1922-1925, he studied at the University of Chicago, and later worked as chemist for various state and federal agencies, including United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries, and the Internal Revenue Service. In 1926-1932, he worked as assistant curator of botany at Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. During World War II, he served in Chemical Warfare Service; he attended Chemical Warfare School in Edgewood, Md. in Jan. 1943. After the war, he returned to Los Angeles and from 1945, worked for Pacific Wines, Inc., Los Angeles. In addition to numerous works on botany and chemistry, McNair also is known for his Simon Cameron's Adventure in Iron (1949) and With Rod and Transit: The Engineering Career of Thomas S. McNair (1951). An avid genealogist, McNair was also author of McNair, McNear, and McNeir Genealogies (Los Angeles, 1923; supplements published in 1928 and 1955).

From the description of Papers of James Birtley McNair, 1901-1964 (bulk 1915-1964). (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122499726