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Joseph Banks

Sir Joseph Banks
Bt GCB PRS
Joseph Banks 1773 Reynolds.jpg
Sir Joseph Banks, as painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1773
Born (1743-02-24)24 February 1743 (13 February O.S.)
30 Argyll Street, London
Died 19 June 1820(1820-06-19) (aged 77)
Spring Grove House, Isleworth, London, England
Nationality British
Fields Botany
Institutions Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Alma mater Christ Church, Oxford
Known for Voyage of HMS Endeavour, exploration of Botany Bay
Author abbrev. (botany) Banks
Signature

Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS (24 February [O.S. 13 February] 1743 – 19 June 1820) was a British naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences.

Banks made his name on the 1766 natural history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage (1768–1771), visiting Brazil, Tahiti, and, after 6 months in New Zealand, Australia, returning to immediate fame. He held the position of President of the Royal Society for over 41 years. He advised King George III on the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and by sending botanists around the world to collect plants, he made Kew the world's leading botanical gardens.

Banks advocated British settlement in New South Wales and colonisation of Australia, as well as the establishment of Botany Bay as a place for the reception of convicts, and advised the British government on all Australian matters. He is credited with introducing the eucalyptus, acacia, and the genus named after him, Banksia, to the Western world. Approximately 80 species of plants bear his name. He was the leading founder of the African Association and a member of the Society of Dilettanti which helped to establish the Royal Academy.


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