John Torrey.

American Botanist and Chemist 1796-1873

John Torrey was one of the major botanists in the United States in the nineteenth century. As a youth he chose medicine as a career and in 1816 entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Before graduation he joined with his professors to become one of the founders of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York (now the New York Academy of Sciences). In 1818, he received his medical degree (M.D.). His first academic position was as an Assistant Surgeon and Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy at West Point, New York. A few years later he was invited to return to his alma mater, and there he taught chemistry from 1827 to 1855. He also taught at Princeton from 1830 to 1854.

From 1820 until his death in 1873, Torrey was recognized as the major botanist of the innumerable plant collections...