Tuckerman, Edward

Tuckerman, Edward (1817–86) botanist; born in Boston, Mass. (brother of Frederick G. Tuckerman). After receiving a law degree from Harvard (1839), he studied lichens in Europe (1841–42) under the Swedish lichen specialist Elias Fries. He became museum curator at Union College (1842–43), then returned to Harvard, earning a bachelor's degree (1847) and a degree in divinity (1852). He wrote many historical and theological articles after joining Amherst College as a lecturer in history (1854–58) and a professor of botany (1858–86). He was the first botanist to explore the New England mountains for lichens; his Genera Lichenum: An Arrangement of North American Lichens (1872) is considered his greatest book on this topic. Tuckerman Ravine in New Hampshire is named for him.