Harry Keith

Henry George Keith (1899-1982), known as Harry Keith, was a British forester and plant collector. Keith is credited with starting the process of large-scale conservation of the forests of North Borneo (now Sabah). In 1984 a new species of Rafflesia endemic to Sabah, Rafflesia keithii, was named in his honour. Keith was the husband of author Agnes Newton Keith.

Keith was born in New Plymouth, New Zealand, to English parents and grew up there, before being sent abroad to be schooled in England and then in California, United States. Keith served in the United States Navy in the First World War, and then took a degree at the University of California, Berkeley (B.Sc. 1924).

In 1925, Keith was appointed the Assistant Conservator of Forests for the government of North Borneo (now Sabah) under the Chartered Company, based at Sandakan, and was promoted to Conservator of Forests in 1931, and later again to Director of Agriculture and Wildlife. He was also Honorary Curator of the Sandakan Museum.

In 1934 Keith married Agnes Newton Keith (1901-1982), an American who was later to become a celebrated writer. Keith had been a friend of Agnes’ brother Al when both boys had been at the same school in San Diego. Keith had first met Agnes when she was eight years old and he was two years older. Keith had not seen Agnes in ten years when he visited California while on leave in 1934. As soon as they re-met they fell in love, and married three days later, and Agnes accompanied him to North Borneo.

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