Banks, Sir Joseph, Baronet
- Banks, Sir Joseph, Baronet
-
▪ British naturalist
born , February 13, 1743, London, England
died June 19, 1820, Isleworth, London
British explorer, naturalist, and long-time president of the Royal Society, known for his promotion of science.
Banks was schooled at
Harrow School and
Eton College before attending Christ Church College, Oxford, from 1760 to 1763; he inherited a considerable fortune from his father in 1761. Banks then traveled extensively, collecting plant and natural history specimens in journeys to Newfoundland and Labrador (1766), around the world with Captain James Cook (
Cook, James) (1768–71), and to Iceland (1772).
Banks was interested in economic plants and their introduction into countries. He was the first to suggest (1805) the identity of the wheat rust and barberry fungus, and he was the first to show that marsupial mammals were more primitive than placental mammals. In his capacity as honorary director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (
Kew Gardens) (near London), he sent many botanical collectors to various countries. His house became a meeting place for the exchange of ideas. After he became president of the
Royal Society (1778–1820), he improved the position of science in Britain and cultivated interchange with scientists of other nations; he was, however, accused by many fellow scientists of exercising excessive authority as president and even of being “despotic.” In 1781 he was made a baronet. The order of Knight Commander of the Bath was bestowed upon him in 1795, and two years later he was admitted to the
Privy Council.
Banks's herbarium, considered one of the most important in existence, and his library, a major collection of works on natural history, are now at the
British Museum.
Banks' Florilegium, a collection of engravings of plants compiled by Banks and based on drawings by Swedish botanist Daniel Solander during Cook's 1768–71 voyage, was not published in full until 1989.
Additional Reading
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
BANKS, Sir Joseph (1744-1820) — president of the Royal Society, the father of Australia was born in Argyle street, London, on 4 January 1743 4. (Parish register quoted in Sir Joseph Banks and the Royal Society, p. 61, 13 February is usually given as the date of his birth.) He… … Dictionary of Australian Biography
Davy, Sir Humphry, Baronet — ▪ British chemist Introduction born Dec. 17, 1778, Penzance, Cornwall, Eng. died May 29, 1829, Geneva English chemist who discovered several chemical elements (including sodium and potassium) and compounds, invented the miner s safety lamp, and… … Universalium
Joseph Banks — For other people named Joseph Banks, see Joseph Banks (disambiguation). Sir Joseph Banks, Bt Joseph Banks, as painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1773 … Wikipedia
Banks Island — an island in the W Northwest Territories, in NW Canada. 24,600 sq. mi. (63,700 sq. km). * * * Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. The westernmost island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it lies northwest of Victoria Island and is separated… … Universalium
Banks Peninsula — Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand, extending about 35 mi (55 km) into the Pacific Ocean. Originally an island formed by two contiguous volcanic cones, the peninsula was visited in 1770 by Capt. James Cook, who named it for Joseph Banks.… … Universalium
Banks Islands — ▪ islands, Vanuatu volcanic group in northern Vanuatu, southwestern Pacific Ocean. The group includes the islands of Vanua Lava, Santa Maria (Gaua), Mota, and Mota Lava, as well as numerous islets. The Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández… … Universalium
Joseph Banks — Banks in jungen Jahren … Deutsch Wikipedia
Banks — Banks, 1) Sir Joseph, Baronet, Beförderer der Naturforschung, geb. 13. Febr. 1744 in London, gest. daselbst 19. Juni 1820, studierte in Eton und Oxford, besuchte 1765 Neufundland und Labrador und begleitete 1768–71 Cook auf seiner ersten Reise um … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
Banks — (Bänks), Sir Joseph, geb. 1743 zu Revesby Abbey in England, machte 1765 eine Reise nach Neufundland, und 3 Jahre später mit Cook eine Reise um die Welt, zu der er die botanischen Arbeiten lieferte. 1777 Präsident der königl. Societät und 1778… … Herders Conversations-Lexikon
sir — /serr/, n. 1. a respectful or formal term of address used to a man: No, sir. 2. (cap.) the distinctive title of a knight or baronet: Sir Walter Scott. 3. (cap.) a title of respect for some notable personage of ancient times: Sir Pandarus of Troy … Universalium
