East, Edward Murray

East, Edward Murray, 1879–1938, American biologist, b. Du Quoin, Ill., grad. Univ. of Illinois (B.S., 1900; Ph.D., 1907). He served the agricultural experiment stations at the Univ. of Illinois and in Connecticut, and from 1909 he was professor of experimental plant morphology and of genetics at Harvard. His researches—in part for the Dept. of Agriculture—on the genetics and breeding of corn, tobacco, and potatoes were especially valuable; he was instrumental in revolutionizing American corn growing by applying inbred strain breeding. His works include Mankind at the Crossroads (1923) and Heredity and Human Affairs (1927); he contributed to and edited Biology in Human Affairs (1931).

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East, Edward Murray

(born Oct. 4, 1879, Du Quoin, Ill., U.S.—died Nov. 9, 1938, Boston, Mass.) U.S. plant geneticist, agronomist, and chemist. He finished high school at age 15 and received an M.S. in 1904. He was particularly interested in determining and controlling the protein and fat content of corn, both of which significantly influence its value as animal feed. His research, with that of George Harrison Shull, led to the development of modern-day hybrid corn. Commercial production of hybrid seed corn was made possible by the work of his student Donald F. Jones (1890–1963). East's work helped make possible studies in the field of population genetics.