William Henry Harvey
| William Henry Harvey | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 5 February 1811 Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland |
| Died |
15 May 1866 (aged 55) Torquay, Devon, England |
| Cause of death | tuberculosis |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | W.H Harvey |
| Education | Baltimore School (County Kilkare) |
| Occupation | botanist |
| Known for | A Manuel of the British Algae |
| Spouse(s) | Miss Phelps (m 1861) |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Massey Harvey (father), Rebecca Mark (mother) |
William Henry Harvey, FRS FLS (5 February 1811 – 15 May 1866) was an Irish botanist and phycologist who specialised in algae.
Harvey was born at Summerville near Limerick, Ireland, in 1811, the youngest of 11 children. His father Joseph Massey Harvey, was a Quaker and prominent merchant. William started his education at Ballitore School in County Kildare and by the age of 15 had already established algae as his overriding interest. After leaving school he joined the family business.
Harvey was an authority on algae and bryophytes (mosses), and author of A Manual of the British Algae (1841), Phycologia Britannica (4 vols., 1846–51), Nereis Boreali-Americana. (3 parts 1852–85) and Phycologia Australica (5 vol., 1858–63). He spent several years in South Africa, and was the author, with German botanist Otto Wilhelm Sonder, of the Flora Capensis (7 vol. in 11, 1859 – 1933). Harvey's main algal herbarium is located at Trinity College, Dublin.
Harvey's discovery in 1831 of the moss Hookeria laetevirens at Killarney, new to Ireland, led to a lifelong friendship with Sir William Jackson Hooker, who was then Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University. Hooker recognised the talent of the young man and lent him books and specimens. Soon afterwards Hooker invited him to contribute the section on algae to his British Flora (1833) as well as the section on algae for The Botany of Captain Beechy's Voyage.
In 1835 Harvey went to South Africa aboard the vessel "Carnatic", with his brother Joseph who had been mistakenly nominated as Colonial Treasurer by Thomas Spring Rice instead of William. When Joseph's health failed in the following year, William took over his duties. They left for Britain together on 14 April 1836 and Joseph died on the voyage.
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