Alexander H. Smith
| Alexander Hanchett Smith | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 13, 1904 Crandon, Wisconsin |
| Died | December 12, 1986 (aged 81) Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA |
| Residence | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Mycology |
| Institutions | University of Michigan |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Doctoral advisor | C.H. Kauffman, E.B. Mains |
| Known for | Contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | A.H.Sm. |
Alexander Hanchett Smith (December 12, 1904 – December 12, 1986) was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics.
Smith, born in Crandon, Wisconsin, was the second child of Ruth M. and Edward A. Schmidt, who later changed their name to Smith. After the death of his mother in his teens, Smith and family moved to West De Pere, Wisconsin, to live with their paternal grandparents.
Smith graduated from high school in West De Pere in 1923. A year later, he entered Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he received a B.A. degree in 1928. He applied for a fellowship at the University of Michigan and began graduate studies in botany in the fall of 1928 with the eminent mycologist Calvin H. Kauffman as his advisor. Kauffman died before Smith completed his degree, so he continued his studies under professor Edwin Butterworth Mains, eventually earning his M.A. in 1929 and his Ph.D. in 1933. His doctoral dissertation was entitled "Investigations of Two-spored Forms in the Genus Mycena", which was later published as a journal article.
In 1934 he was appointed assistant curator at the University of Michigan Herbarium, where he was to spend his entire professional career. He was appointed director of the Herbarium in 1959 and served in that capacity until 1972. In 1968, he served as deputy director of the Biological Station. Smith married fellow graduate student Helen Vendler Smith, who received her Ph.D. in botany at the University of Michigan. They would work together later, she co-authoring and illustrating some of his publications. Daughter Nancy, born in 1943, would accompany her parents on mycological expeditions and forays. Following in her parents' footsteps, she also completed a doctorate at the University of Michigan, in mycology.
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