Charles French (entomologist)
Encyclopedia
Charles French was an Australia
n horticulturist, naturalist
, entomologist and plant/seed collector who made significant contributions to economic entomology
.
, Kent
, England
, the son of John French (died 1848) and Ellen, née Tucker. Ellen re-married and the young French moved to Melbourne
with his family in 1852. They settled in Cheltenham
, a suburb of Melbourne.
, James Scott. French then worked at the South Yarra nurseries where he later met Ferdinand von Mueller
, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
.
In 1865 Mueller appointed French to the staff at the Gardens.
In 1873 William Guilfoyle
was appointed curator of the Gardens and French was placed in charge of fern
propagation in the nursery complex.
French had resumed his interest in insects in 1860. In 1874 he co-authored an article on timber-boring insects which appeared in the
annual report of the Department of Agriculture. This is considered the first publication on economic entomology in Victoria
.
In 1889 French was appointed first Victorian government entomologist and in 1891 published Part I of his A Handbook of the Destructive Insects of Victoria. Four further parts were published by 1911. A sixth part dealing with beneficial insects was completed but never published. French was also the author of some pamphlets, and papers by him were published in the Victorian Naturalist and other journals. In 1907 he attended the International Conference of Entomologists in London.
in 1880. It grew into a flourishing organization and remained a great interest to French during a long retirement.
French was a fellow of the Linnean Society of London, of the Royal Horticultural Society
of England and of the Society of Isis, Dresden, Germany.
French died in Malvern
, Melbourne, on 21 May 1933; he was survived by his second wife, a son and daughter from the first marriage and a daughter from the second.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n horticulturist, naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, entomologist and plant/seed collector who made significant contributions to economic entomology
Economic entomology
Economic entomology is a field of entomology, which involves the study of insects that are of benefit or those that cause harm to humans, domestic animals, and crops. Insects that cause losses are termed as pests. Some species can cause indirect damage by spreading diseases and these are termed as...
.
Early life
French was born in LewishamLewisham
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of John French (died 1848) and Ellen, née Tucker. Ellen re-married and the young French moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
with his family in 1852. They settled in Cheltenham
Cheltenham, Victoria
Cheltenham is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located 19 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston to the eastern side of the area's metropolitan railway line and Charman Road north, while the City of Bayside resides over...
, a suburb of Melbourne.
Career
French became interested in natural history and was apprenticed to a nurseryman at HawthornHawthorn, Victoria
Hawthorn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
, James Scott. French then worked at the South Yarra nurseries where he later met Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne are internationally renowned botanical gardens located near the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the south bank of the Yarra River. They are 38 hectares of landscaped gardens consisting of a mix of native and non-native vegetation including over...
.
In 1865 Mueller appointed French to the staff at the Gardens.
In 1873 William Guilfoyle
William Guilfoyle
William Robert Guilfoyle was a landscape gardener and botanist in Victoria, Australia, acknowledged as the architect of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne and was responsible for the design of many parks and gardens in Melbourne and regional Victoria.-Early life:Guilfoyle was born in Chelsea,...
was appointed curator of the Gardens and French was placed in charge of fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
propagation in the nursery complex.
French had resumed his interest in insects in 1860. In 1874 he co-authored an article on timber-boring insects which appeared in the
annual report of the Department of Agriculture. This is considered the first publication on economic entomology in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
In 1889 French was appointed first Victorian government entomologist and in 1891 published Part I of his A Handbook of the Destructive Insects of Victoria. Four further parts were published by 1911. A sixth part dealing with beneficial insects was completed but never published. French was also the author of some pamphlets, and papers by him were published in the Victorian Naturalist and other journals. In 1907 he attended the International Conference of Entomologists in London.
Late life and legacy
French retired in 1908 and was succeeded by his son, Charles Hamilton French. He was a foundation committee-member of the Field Naturalists Club of VictoriaField Naturalists Club of Victoria
The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation.It was founded in May 1880 by a group of nature enthusiasts that included Thomas Pennington Lucas. Charles French and Dudley Best. It is the oldest conservation group in Victoria...
in 1880. It grew into a flourishing organization and remained a great interest to French during a long retirement.
French was a fellow of the Linnean Society of London, of the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
of England and of the Society of Isis, Dresden, Germany.
French died in Malvern
Malvern, Victoria
Malvern is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Malvern had a population of 9,422.-History:...
, Melbourne, on 21 May 1933; he was survived by his second wife, a son and daughter from the first marriage and a daughter from the second.
Works
- Handbook of the destructive insects of Victoria; Volumes I-V 1891-1911; (Volume VI, with text and coloured plates, was prepared but never published.)