Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus (21 May 1810, Königsee
– 23 September 1889) was German-born American MD
, explorer and botanist. He is best known of his printed recollections from travels to Northern Mexico and today's state of New Mexico
.
to a family of pastor Johann Christian Anton Wislizenus as the youngest of three children; the roots of the family lead to 16th century Kingdom of Poland
- therefrom, their ancestor, Jan Wiślicki emigrated first to the Kingdom of Hungary
and later Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
.
Both of the parents died in the early 1810s as victims of epidemic brought by Napoleon's soldiers retreating from Moscow
; the orphaned children were taken into custody by their mother's brother, Dr. Hoffman, a man of the law.
Young Friedrich began his education towards becoming a clergyman at the Gymnasium of Rudolstadt- fragments of Hebrew
would resurface throughout the whole course of his later life. Yet the interest in natural sciences prevailed and he entered the neighbouring University of Jena in hopes of becoming a doctor of medicine. Universities of Tübingen and Göttingen were his next steps.
On April 3, 1833 he played a serious part in the Frankfurter Wachensturm
, a failed attempt to overthrow monarchy in Germany which was speedily dealt with. Some of Wislizenus' colleagues were imprisoned, others, among whom was Friedrich Adolph fled. He followed Johann Lukas Schönlein
and left for Zürich
, Switzerland.
Wislizenus graduated in 1834 and sought employment in Paris yet upon finding none, he set sail for New York
. Having familiarized with the language and country he remained there for two years working actively as a pamphleteer
and poet. In 1837 he joined his fellow exiles in St. Clair County, Illinois
where he practised in Mascoutah
but finding the country life dull and monotonous he ventured to St. Louis in 1839. There he found a long-sought opportunity. Accompanying one of the expeditions of Rocky Mountain Fur Company
he embarked on a journey to the west. With the hardy pioneers he traveled far into the North-West, towards the source of Green River
in the Wind River Mountains. When the trappers turned back home Wislizenus joined a band of Flathead
and Nez Perce Indians with whom he crossed the Rocky Mountains
. With no guide willing to lead him through the Sierra Nevada he ventured back along the banks of Arkansas River
to the border of Missouri
. The voyage proved to be purely recreational due to the inability of finding facilities and lack of instruments.
Upon returining to St. Louis in 1840 he esumed his practice and soon became involved in various citizen activities of a growing city and country. He was a regular attendant at the Western Academy of Science where he aided his compatriot and friend, Dr. Georg Engelmann
.
In 1846 his longing for exploration took hold and he joined a merchant expedition to Santa Fe. This time he was better prepared. Reaching the city news of War between USA and Mexico
emerged. Despite that Wislizenus managed to pass the border and traveled to Chihuahua where the whole group was imprisoned. Several months in a secluded mountain village resulted in collection of notes, observations and sketches concerning northern Mexico. Finally the prisoners were freed by Colonel
Doniphan
in the spring of 1847 and that same year Friedrich Adolph returned to St. Louis. Due to the effort of senator Thomas H. Benton
, with whom he became acquainted with, young explorer was summoned to Washington, D.C.
and requested to publish his recollections. Memoir of a Tour to Northern Mexico in 1846 and 1847 by A. Wislizenus, M.D. corrected erroneous views upon the western country and provided indepth description (with maps and sketches) of the lands near Rio Grande. The Senate ordered printing of 5,000 copies for distribution.
Among the trophies brought from the voyage were many new plants, later on studied by Dr. Engelmann, who, in gratitude to his explorer-friend, named some of the specimens with Wislizenus' name.
While engaged in publishing his memoirs, Wislizenus met his future wife, Lucy Crane, sister-in-law of George Perkins Marsh
.
In 1849 he returned to St. Louis and served with vigour and devotion during the outbreak of cholera. As soon as the epidemic ceased he traveled to Istanbul
where G.P. Marsh served as United States Minister to Turkey where he married Lucy at the Embassy on July 23, 1850. After visiting his hometown in Thuringen and some of the ancient cities of Europe, the newly married couple returned to the USA.
After a brief voyage to Panama and the Pacific Coast Wislizenus returned to St. Louis in 1852 and never left it again (save recreational trips to Kimmswick, Missouri
). For the rest of his life he pursued scientific interest- was one of the founders of the St. Louis Academy of Science, endulged in meteorological and botanical studies until failing eyesight could allow. It culminated in total blindness a few years before his death yet there were always enthusiastic readers to entertain his eager mind.
Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus died on September 23, 1889 leaving a rich intellectual heritage.
Königsee
Königsee is a town in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 12 km east of Ilmenau, and 35 km south of Erfurt....
– 23 September 1889) was German-born American MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, explorer and botanist. He is best known of his printed recollections from travels to Northern Mexico and today's state of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Life
Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus was born on May 21, 1810 in the German town of KönigseeKönigsee
Königsee is a town in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 12 km east of Ilmenau, and 35 km south of Erfurt....
to a family of pastor Johann Christian Anton Wislizenus as the youngest of three children; the roots of the family lead to 16th century Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
- therefrom, their ancestor, Jan Wiślicki emigrated first to the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
and later Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany with its capital at Rudolstadt.-History:Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands...
.
Both of the parents died in the early 1810s as victims of epidemic brought by Napoleon's soldiers retreating from Moscow
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
; the orphaned children were taken into custody by their mother's brother, Dr. Hoffman, a man of the law.
Young Friedrich began his education towards becoming a clergyman at the Gymnasium of Rudolstadt- fragments of Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
would resurface throughout the whole course of his later life. Yet the interest in natural sciences prevailed and he entered the neighbouring University of Jena in hopes of becoming a doctor of medicine. Universities of Tübingen and Göttingen were his next steps.
On April 3, 1833 he played a serious part in the Frankfurter Wachensturm
Frankfurter Wachensturm
The Frankfurter Wachensturm on April 3rd 1833 was a failed attempt to start a revolution in Germany.-Events:...
, a failed attempt to overthrow monarchy in Germany which was speedily dealt with. Some of Wislizenus' colleagues were imprisoned, others, among whom was Friedrich Adolph fled. He followed Johann Lukas Schönlein
Johann Lukas Schönlein
Johann Lukas Schönlein was a German naturalist, and professor of medicine, born in Bamberg. He studied medicine at Landshut, Jena, Göttingen, and Würzburg...
and left for Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland.
Wislizenus graduated in 1834 and sought employment in Paris yet upon finding none, he set sail for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Having familiarized with the language and country he remained there for two years working actively as a pamphleteer
Pamphleteer
A pamphleteer is a historical term for someone who creates or distributes pamphlets. Pamphlets were used to broadcast the writer's opinions on an issue, for example, in order to get people to vote for their favorite politician or to articulate a particular political ideology.A famous pamphleteer...
and poet. In 1837 he joined his fellow exiles in St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...
where he practised in Mascoutah
Mascoutah, Illinois
Mascoutah is a small town in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,483 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Mascoutah is located at ....
but finding the country life dull and monotonous he ventured to St. Louis in 1839. There he found a long-sought opportunity. Accompanying one of the expeditions of Rocky Mountain Fur Company
Rocky Mountain Fur Company
The Rocky Mountain Fur Company, sometimes called Ashley's Hundred, was organized in St. Louis, Missouri in 1823 by General William H. Ashley and Major Andrew Henry . They posted advertisements in St. Louis newspapers seeking "One Hundred enterprising young men . ....
he embarked on a journey to the west. With the hardy pioneers he traveled far into the North-West, towards the source of Green River
Green River (Utah)
The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The watershed of the river, known as the Green River Basin, covers parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The Green River is long, beginning in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and flowing...
in the Wind River Mountains. When the trappers turned back home Wislizenus joined a band of Flathead
Flathead Indian Reservation
The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes - also known as theConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation...
and Nez Perce Indians with whom he crossed the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. With no guide willing to lead him through the Sierra Nevada he ventured back along the banks of Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
to the border of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The voyage proved to be purely recreational due to the inability of finding facilities and lack of instruments.
Upon returining to St. Louis in 1840 he esumed his practice and soon became involved in various citizen activities of a growing city and country. He was a regular attendant at the Western Academy of Science where he aided his compatriot and friend, Dr. Georg Engelmann
George Engelmann
George Engelmann, also known as Georg Engelmann, was a German-American botanist. He was instrumental in describing the flora of the west of North America, then very poorly-known; he was particularly active in the Rocky Mountains and northern Mexico.-Origins:George Engelmann was born in Frankfurt...
.
In 1846 his longing for exploration took hold and he joined a merchant expedition to Santa Fe. This time he was better prepared. Reaching the city news of War between USA and Mexico
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
emerged. Despite that Wislizenus managed to pass the border and traveled to Chihuahua where the whole group was imprisoned. Several months in a secluded mountain village resulted in collection of notes, observations and sketches concerning northern Mexico. Finally the prisoners were freed by Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Doniphan
Alexander William Doniphan
Alexander William Doniphan was a 19th-century American attorney, soldier and politician from Missouri who is best known today as the man who prevented the summary execution of Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr. at the close of the 1838 Mormon War in that state...
in the spring of 1847 and that same year Friedrich Adolph returned to St. Louis. Due to the effort of senator Thomas H. Benton
Thomas Hart Benton (senator)
Thomas Hart Benton , nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms...
, with whom he became acquainted with, young explorer was summoned to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and requested to publish his recollections. Memoir of a Tour to Northern Mexico in 1846 and 1847 by A. Wislizenus, M.D. corrected erroneous views upon the western country and provided indepth description (with maps and sketches) of the lands near Rio Grande. The Senate ordered printing of 5,000 copies for distribution.
Among the trophies brought from the voyage were many new plants, later on studied by Dr. Engelmann, who, in gratitude to his explorer-friend, named some of the specimens with Wislizenus' name.
While engaged in publishing his memoirs, Wislizenus met his future wife, Lucy Crane, sister-in-law of George Perkins Marsh
George Perkins Marsh
George Perkins Marsh , an American diplomat and philologist, is considered by some to be America's first environmentalist, although "conservationist" would be more accurate...
.
In 1849 he returned to St. Louis and served with vigour and devotion during the outbreak of cholera. As soon as the epidemic ceased he traveled to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
where G.P. Marsh served as United States Minister to Turkey where he married Lucy at the Embassy on July 23, 1850. After visiting his hometown in Thuringen and some of the ancient cities of Europe, the newly married couple returned to the USA.
After a brief voyage to Panama and the Pacific Coast Wislizenus returned to St. Louis in 1852 and never left it again (save recreational trips to Kimmswick, Missouri
Kimmswick, Missouri
Kimmswick is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The estimated population in 2007 was 102. It was 94 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kimmswick is a fourth class city located at...
). For the rest of his life he pursued scientific interest- was one of the founders of the St. Louis Academy of Science, endulged in meteorological and botanical studies until failing eyesight could allow. It culminated in total blindness a few years before his death yet there were always enthusiastic readers to entertain his eager mind.
Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus died on September 23, 1889 leaving a rich intellectual heritage.