William James Beal

William James Beal
Born	(1833-03-11)March 11, 1833 Adrian, Michigan
Died	May 12, 1924(1924-05-12) (aged 91) Amherst, Massachusetts
Nationality	American
Fields	Botanist
Institutions	University of Chicago Michigan State University
Alma mater	University of Michigan Harvard University University of Chicago
Known for	Pioneer in the development of hybrid corn Founder of W. J. Beal Botanical Garden
Spouse	Hannah Proud Beal

William James Beal (March 11, 1833 – May 12, 1924) was an American botanist. He was a pioneer in the development of hybrid corn and the founder of the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden.

Beal was born in Adrian, Michigan, to William and Rachel (Comstock) Beal, and he married Hannah Proud in 1863. He attended the University of Michigan, where he earned an A.B. degree in 1859 and an A.M. degree in 1862; he also received an S.B. degree from Harvard University, 1865, an M.S. degree from the University of Chicago, 1875, and a number of honorary degrees. Between 1858 and 1861 he was also teacher of Natural Sciences at Friends Academy at Union Springs, New York.

He served as professor of botany at the University of Chicago in 1868-70, then went on to Michigan Agricultural College (MAC, now Michigan State University), where he was a professor of botany (1871-1910), and curator of the museum (1882-1903). While at MAC, he arranged for Liberty Hyde Bailey to work as an assistant to Asa Gray at Harvard University for two years during 1883-1884. He also served as director of the state Forestry Commission (1889-1892).

Beal was the founder of MSU's W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, the oldest continuously operated botanical garden in the United States. He was one of the pioneers in the development of hybrid corn. He was the author of The New Botany, Grasses of North America, and History of Michigan Agricultural College.

In 1887, he and Professor Rolla C. Carpenter created "Collegeville", the first neighborhood in what later became East Lansing.

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