Augustine Henry

Augustine Henry (2 July 1857 – 23 March 1930) was an Irish plantsman and sinologist. He is best known for sending over 15,000 dry specimens and seeds and 500 plant samples to Kew Gardens in the United Kingdom. By 1930, he was a recognised authority and was honoured with society membership in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, and Poland. In 1929 the Botanical Institute of Peking dedicated to him the second volume of Icones plantarum Sinicarum, a collection of plant drawings. In 1935, J. W. Besant was to write: 'The wealth of beautiful trees and flowering shrubs which adorn gardens in all temperate parts of the world today is due in a great measure to the pioneer work of the late Professor Henry'.

Henry was born on 2 July 1857 in Dundee, Scotland to Bernard (a flax merchant) and Mary (née McManee) Henry; the family returned to Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, Ireland, shortly afterwards. Educated at Cookstown Academy and later Queens College Galway (B.A.), Queens College, Belfast (M.A.) 1879 to study medicine, Henry transferred his studies to Edinburgh to finish his degree sooner and duly qualified as a doctor. At some stage, he came in contact with Sir Robert Hart who encouraged him to join the Imperial Customs Service in China.

Henry entered the Imperial Customs Service in Shanghai in 1881 as Assistant Medical Officer and Customs Assistant. He was sent to the remote posting of Yichang (Ichanh) in 1882 in Hubei Province, Central China, to investigate plants used in Chinese medicine. He also served in Hupeh, Szechuan, Simao (Yunnan), Mengsi and Formosa (Taiwan). Later in his Chinese career he studied Law and became a member of the Middle Temple. Henry had studied Chinese before going to China and gained a great proficiency in the language. Henry retired with the rank of Mandarin.

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