Northrop, Alice Rich, 1864-1922.

Hide Profile

Botanist Alice (Rich) Northrop attended New York City public schools and Hunter College and taught briefly in the New York City school system. In 1889, she married John Isiah Northrop, an instructor of botany and zoology at Columbia University. The couple undertook a series of wide-ranging field trips, but in 1891 Dr. Northrop was killed in a laboratory explosion at the Columbia School of Mines. Their only child, John Howard Northrop (Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 1946), was born shortly after his father's death. By this time an instructor of botany at Hunter, Alice Northrop travelled widely in the American and Canadian west and northwest, and in Central America and the Caribbean, often accompanied by her son. Throughout her adult life she endeavored to make the joys of nature available to people confined to cities, and for this purpose founded the School Nature League in 1917. The Northrop Memorial Nature Camp was eventually established at her property in Mt. Washington, Mass., to continue that work.

Northrop helped write two books: A Naturalist in the Bahamas (1930) and Through Field and Woodland (1925). She also contributed articles to botanical journals and donated plant specimens to several major research institutions. Northrop was killed in a car accident on May 6, 1922.

From the description of Papers, 1884-1916 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 232008009

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Northrop, John Howard, 1891-. Just for the fun of it : [autobiographical sketch] : typescript (photocopy), [19--]. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Northrop, Alice Rich, 1864-1922. Papers, 1884-1916 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Abbott, Lyman, 1835-1922. person
associatedWith Medsger, Oliver Perry, 1870-1954. person
associatedWith Northrop, John Howard, 1891- person
associatedWith Northrop, John I. (John Isaiah), 1861-1891. person
associatedWith Osborn, Henry Fairfield, 1857-1935. person
associatedWith Shaw, Charles H. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
United States
Gold River Valley
Columbia River Valley
Subject
Botanists
Naturalists
Nature study
Occupation
Botanists
Scientists
Activity

Person

Birth 1864

Death 1922

Related Descriptions
Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6k100mh

Ark ID: w6k100mh

SNAC ID: 40011993