William Taylor Whan was an Irish-born Australian Presbyterian minister and botanist. He was born in the village of Balinderry Bridge in County Londonderry

County Londonderry

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

.

While attending Queen's College, Belfast , Whan was awarded both the University Gold Medal and a senior scholarship in natural history

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...

. He graduated with a Master of Arts

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 qualification and became a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society

Royal Microscopical Society

The Royal Microscopical Society is an international scientific society for the promotion of microscopy. RMS draws members from all over the world and is dedicated to advancing science, developing careers and supporting wider understanding of science and microscopy through its Science and Society...

.

Whan emigated to Australia in 1860, becoming a minister in Skipton, Victoria

Skipton, Victoria

Skipton is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is situated on the Glenelg Highway 166 kilometres west of the state capital, Melbourne and 52 kilometres south west of the regional centre, Ballarat. Part of Corangamite Shire Local government area, Skipton is on the banks...

 a position he retained until 1884. He was a member of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria and collected for 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:...

. When he later moved to Port Fairy, he gathered a large collection of algae

Algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...

 and shells. He also formed collections of phanerogams, as well as contributing to the Melbourne Herbarium.

Whan died in 1901 and was buried at Skipton. He was commemorated by the name Acacia whanii which was bestowed by Mueller in 1864. This species is currently known as Acacia lanigera

Acacia lanigera

Acacia lanigera, commonly known as Woolly Wattle or Hairy Wattle, is a tree species that is endemic Australia. It has an erect or spreading habit, growing up to 2 metres high, The phyllodes, which may be hairy or glabrous, are up to 20-70 mm in length and 2-8 mm wide...

var. whanii.