Thomas Taylor (microscopist)

For the Irish botanist (1786–1848), see Thomas Taylor (botanist).
Thomas Taylor
Born1820 Edit this on Wikidata
Perthshire Edit this on Wikidata
Died1910 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 89–90)
OccupationMicroscopist, phytopathologist Edit this on Wikidata
Employer

Thomas Taylor (1820–1910) was a Scottish-American plant pathologist and microscopist. He was among the first to publish works on microscopic plant pathology with the USDA.[1][2]

Taylor was born in Perthshire, Scotland. He immigrated to the United States at the invitation of Abraham Lincoln in 1851. In 1871, he was hired by the USDA and became head of microscopy. He was often criticized for his lack of professional training, and his work was discredited and buried by his colleagues. However, his research into fungal diseases of fruit was later praised.[1]

Taylor died in 1910.[1]

The standard author abbreviation T.Taylor is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[3]
  1. ^ a b c Grace, J K (September 1988). "The Role of Thomas Taylor in the History of American Phytopathology". Annual Review of Phytopathology. 26 (1): 25–29. doi:10.1146/annurev.py.26.090188.000325.
  2. ^ True, Alfred Charles (1937). A History of Agricultural Experimentation and Research in the United States, 1607-1925: Including a History of the United States Department of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture. pp. 51, 179.
  3. ^ International Plant Names Index.  T.Taylor.