John Hutton Balfour
| John Hutton Balfour | |
|---|---|
Balfour in 1878
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| Born |
15 September 1808 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 11 February 1884 (aged 75) Inverleith House, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | botany |
| Institutions | Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Oxford University |
| Alma mater | Royal High School, St Andrews University and Edinburgh University |
| Notable awards | FRSE FRS FRCSE FLS MWS |
| Spouse | Marion Spottiswood Bayley |
John Hutton Balfour FRSE FRS FRCSE FLS MWS (15 September 1808 – 11 February 1884) was a Scottish botanist. Balfour became a Professor of Botany, first at the University of Glasgow in 1841, moving to Edinburgh University and also becoming the 7th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Her Majesty's Botanist in 1845. He held these posts until his retirement in 1879.
He was the son of Andrew Balfour, an Army Surgeon who had returned to Edinburgh to set up a printing and publishing business.
Balfour was educated at the Royal High School in Edinburgh and then studied at St Andrews University and Edinburgh University, graduating with degrees of M.A. and then M.D., the latter in 1832. In Edinburgh, he became a notable member of the Plinian Society, where he encountered the phrenologist William A.F. Browne and entered the vigorous debates concerning natural history and theology. His original intention had been to seek ordination in the Church of Scotland but instead he started medical practice in Edinburgh in 1834 after studying abroad.
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