Mary Agnes Chase | |
|---|---|
,_sitting_at_desk_with_specimens.jpg) Mary Agnes Chase seated at a desk with herbarium sheets, c.1960 [1] | |
| Born | April 29, 1869 Iroquois County, Illinois |
| Died | September 24, 1963 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Agnes Chase |
| Known for | First Book of Grasses |
| Spouse | William Ingraham Chase |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | botany, botanical illustration |
| Institutions | U.S. Department of Agriculture, Smithsonian Institution |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Chase |
Mary Agnes Chase (April 29 1869 – September 24 1963) was an American botanist who specialized in agrostology, the study of grasses. Although lacking formal education past elementary school, Chase was able to rise through the ranks as a botanist at the United States Department of Agriculture, beginning as an illustrator under the tutelage of Albert Spear Hitchcock, and eventually becoming a senior botanist, overseeing the USDA's Systematic Agrostology department.[2] Chase conducted fieldwork abroad in Europe and South America and published several books, including the First Book of Grasses: The Structure of Grasses Explained for Beginners, which was later translated into Spanish and Portuguese.[3] Additionally, Chase was recognized for her work as an agrostologist with numerous awards, including a Certificate of Merit issued by the Botanical Society of America in 1956.[2] Chase was also an active suffragist and took part in demonstrations organized by the Silent Sentinels, a group established by members of the National Woman's Party.[4] Although Chase's participation in this movement was not always well received by her peers in the scientific community, she nevertheless remained committed to the cause of women's suffrage.[5]
- ^ "Mary Agnes Chase, Botanist". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ a b Smith Jr, James P. (2018). "Mary Agnes Chase". Botanical Studies. 81: 1–4.
- ^ Henson, Pamela M. (2003). "'What Holds the Earth Together': Agnes Chase and American Agrostology". Journal of the History of Biology. 36 (3): 437–460. doi:10.1023/B:HIST.0000004568.11609.2d. JSTOR 4331826. S2CID 84372753.
- ^ Ware, Susan & Stacy Lorraine Braukman (2004). Notable American Women: Completing the Twentieth Century. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01488-6.
- ^ Madsen-Brooks, Leslie (2009). "Challenging Science As Usual: Women's Participation in American Natural History Museum Work, 1870–1950". Journal of Women's History. 21 (2): 11–38, 185. doi:10.1353/jowh.0.0076. S2CID 143462456 – via ProQuest 203248911.