Albert Francis Blakeslee
Encyclopedia
Albert Francis Blakeslee (November 9, 1874 – November 16, 1954) was an American
botanist
. He is best known for his research on the poisonous jimsonweed
plant and the sexuality of fungi
.
Born in Geneseo, New York
, Blakeslee attended Wesleyan University
, graduating in 1896. He received a master's degree from Harvard University
in 1900 and a doctorate in 1904. He also studied at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany from 1904 to 1907.
Blakeslee used the jimsonweed
plant as a model organism for his genetic research.
His first professorship was at the Connecticut Agricultural College, now known as the University of Connecticut
. He was hired by the Carnegie Institution in 1915, eventually becoming its director. In 1941, he retired from the Carnegie Institution and returned to academia, accepting a professorship at Smith College
. There he performed his research on jimsonweed.
He was the brother of the Far East scholar George Hubbard Blakeslee
, who had also studied in Germany at the University of Leipzig in 1902.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
. He is best known for his research on the poisonous jimsonweed
Datura stramonium
Datura stramonium, known by the common names Jimson weed, devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, locoweed, datura, pricklyburr, devil's cucumber, Hell's Bells, moonflower and, in South Africa, malpitte and mad seeds, is a common weed in the...
plant and the sexuality of fungi
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
.
Born in Geneseo, New York
Geneseo, New York
Geneseo is the name of a town and its village in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA, outside of Rochester, New York. The town's population is approximately 9,600, of which about 7,600 live in the village...
, Blakeslee attended Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, graduating in 1896. He received a master's degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1900 and a doctorate in 1904. He also studied at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany from 1904 to 1907.
Blakeslee used the jimsonweed
Datura stramonium
Datura stramonium, known by the common names Jimson weed, devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, locoweed, datura, pricklyburr, devil's cucumber, Hell's Bells, moonflower and, in South Africa, malpitte and mad seeds, is a common weed in the...
plant as a model organism for his genetic research.
His first professorship was at the Connecticut Agricultural College, now known as the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
. He was hired by the Carnegie Institution in 1915, eventually becoming its director. In 1941, he retired from the Carnegie Institution and returned to academia, accepting a professorship at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
. There he performed his research on jimsonweed.
He was the brother of the Far East scholar George Hubbard Blakeslee
George Hubbard Blakeslee
George Hubbard Blakeslee was an academic, professor of history and international relations at Clark University, and the founder of the Journal of Race Development, which despite its name suggestive of eugenics was, in fact, the first American journal devoted to international relations...
, who had also studied in Germany at the University of Leipzig in 1902.