Editing David Douglas (botanist)

{{Short description|Scottish botanist (1799–1834)}}
{{about|the botanist|other people named David Douglas|David Douglas (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = David Douglas
| image             = David Douglass00.jpg
| birth_date        = {{birth date |df=yes|1799|6|25}}
| birth_place       = [[Scone, Perthshire|Scone]], [[Perthshire]], Scotland
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1834|7|12|1799|6|25}}
| death_place       = [[Mauna Kea]], [[Laupāhoehoe, Hawaii|Laupāhoehoe]], [[Kingdom of Hawaii|Hawai'i]]
| resting_place     = [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]]
| field             = [[Botany]]
| work_institutions = [[Glasgow Botanic Gardens]], [[Royal Horticultural Society]]
| alma_mater        = [[University of Glasgow]]
| doctoral_advisor  =
| doctoral_students = 
| known_for         = Douglas fir
| author_abbrev_bot = '''Douglas'''
| author_abbrev_zoo = 
| prizes            =  
}}

[[Image:Pseudotsuga menziesii cone.jpg|right|frame|[[Coast Douglas-fir]] cone, from a tree grown from seed collected by David Douglas in 1826]]
'''David Douglas''' (25 June 1799 – 12 July 1834) was a Scottish [[botanist]], best known as the namesake of the [[Douglas fir]]. He worked as a gardener, and explored the Scottish Highlands, North America and Hawaii, where he died.<ref>{{ cite DCB |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/douglas_david_6E.html |title=Douglas, David |volume=6 |author=In collaboration with M. L. Tyrwhitt-Drake}}</ref> {{botanist|inline=1|border=0|Douglas|Douglas, David}}

==Early life==
Douglas was born in [[Scone, Perthshire|Scone]], [[Perthshire]], the second son of John Douglas, a stonemason, and Jean Drummond. At around the age of seven, he attended a school in a neighboring parish, where he became known for his tardiness and truancy, preferring to explore the countryside during his two-mile walk to class.<ref>Nisbet, Jack (2009). ''The Collector: David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest''. Seattle: Sasquatch Books. ISBN 9781570616679.</ref> He attended school in [[Kinnoull]], on the eastern banks of the [[River Tay]], and upon leaving found work as an apprentice to William Beattie, head gardener at nearby [[Scone Palace]], the seat of the [[David William Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield|Earl of Mansfield]]. He spent seven years in this position, completing his apprenticeship, and then spent a winter at a college in Perth to learn more of the scientific and mathematical aspects of plant culture. After a further spell of working at [[Valleyfield, Fife|Valleyfield House]] in [[Fife]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/walk-of-the-week-valleyfield-wood-fife-1-1424824|title=Walk of the week: Valleyfield Wood, Fife|website=www.scotsman.com}}</ref> (during which time he had access to a library of botanical and zoological books), he moved to the [[Glasgow Botanic Gardens|Botanical Gardens]] of [[Glasgow University]] and attended botany lectures. [[William Jackson Hooker]], who was Garden Director and Professor of Botany, was greatly impressed with him and took him on an expedition to the [[Scottish highlands|Highlands]] before recommending him to the [[Royal Horticultural Society]].{{sfn |Nisbet |2009 |pp=4–6}}

==Explorations==
Douglas made three separate trips from Britain to North America. His first, to eastern North America, began on 3 June 1823, with a return in the late autumn of 1823. The second was to the Pacific Northwest, from July 1824 returning October 1827.{{efn|He sailed aboard {{ship||William and Ann|1818 Bermuda ship|2}}, which the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] had purchased to explore the Pacific Northwest.}} His third and final trip started in England in October 1829. On that last journey he went first to the [[Columbia River]], then to San Francisco, then in August 1832, to Hawaii. In October 1832, he returned to the Columbia River region. A year later, in October 1833, he returned to Hawaii, arriving on 2 January 1834.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Douglas|first=David|url=http://archive.org/details/journalkeptbydav00dougiala|title=Journal kept by David Douglas during his travels in North America 1823–1827, together with a particular description of thirty-three species of American oaks and eighteen species of Pinus, with appendices containing a list of the plants introduced by Douglas and an account of his death in 1834. Published under the direction of the Royal Horticultural Society|last2=Royal Horticultural Society (Great Britain)|date=1914|publisher=London : W. Wesley & Son|others=University of California Libraries|pages=296}}</ref> The second expedition starting in 1824 was his most successful. The [[Royal Horticultural Society]]{{sfn |Nisbet |2009 |p=7}} sent him back on a plant-hunting expedition in the [[Pacific Northwest]] that ranks among the great botanical explorations.

In the spring of 1826, David Douglas was compelled to climb a peak ([[Mount Brown (British Columbia)|Mount Brown]], of the mythical pair [[Hooker and Brown]]) near [[Athabasca Pass]] to take in the view. In so doing, he was perhaps one of the first Europeans to be a "[[mountaineering|mountaineer]]" in North America.<ref>{{cite web|title=who was david douglas?|url=http://www.daviddouglassociety.org/uploads/1/5/9/9/15991036/who_was_david_douglas_final.pdf|website=DavidDouglasSociety|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-date=8 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908113404/http://www.daviddouglassociety.org/uploads/1/5/9/9/15991036/who_was_david_douglas_final.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> He introduced the [[Douglas fir]] (Douglas-fir) into cultivation in 1827. Other notable introductions include [[Sitka Spruce]], [[Sugar Pine]], [[Western White Pine]], [[Ponderosa Pine]], [[Lodgepole Pine]], [[Monterey Pine]], [[Grand Fir]], [[Noble Fir]] and several other [[Pinophyta|conifers]] that transformed the British landscape and [[timber industry]], as well as numerous garden [[shrub]]s and herbs such as the [[Ribes sanguineum|Flowering currant]], [[Salal]], [[Lupin]], [[Penstemon]] and [[California poppy]]. His success was well beyond expectations; in one of his letters to Hooker, he wrote "you will begin to think I manufacture pines at my pleasure". Altogether he introduced about 240 species of plants to Britain.

He first briefly visited Hawaii in 1830 on his way to the Pacific Northwest. He returned again in December 1833 intending to spend three months of winter there. He was only the second European to reach the summit of the [[Mauna Loa]] volcano.<ref name="earliest">{{cite journal| title=Earliest Ascents of Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawai'i |publisher=Hawaiian Historical Society, Honolulu |author=Walther M. Barnard |hdl=10524/599 |journal=Hawaiian Journal of History |volume=25 |year=1991}}</ref>

== Death ==
Douglas died under mysterious circumstances while climbing [[Mauna Kea]] in Hawaii at the age of 35 in 1834.<ref>Lyman, Sarah Joiner. ''Sarah Joiner Lyman of Hawaii: Her Own Story.''Ed. Margaret Greer Martin. Hilo: Lyman Museum, 2009. 67–69.</ref> He apparently fell into a [[trapping pit|pit trap]] where he was mauled to death by a [[Hawaiian wild cattle|bull]]. He was last seen alive at the hut of Englishman Edward "Ned" Gurney, a bullock hunter and escaped convict. Gurney was suspected in Douglas's death, as Douglas was said to have been carrying more money than Gurney subsequently delivered with the body; others suggested he might have been robbed and murdered by two native Hawaiians. However, no evidence was found to contradict Gurney's story.{{sfn |Nisbet |2009 |pp=294–5}}
In 1856, a marker to Douglas was erected on an outside wall at [[Kawaiahao Church|Kawaiaha{{okina}}o Church]] (Kawaiahao Church Cemetery). A monument was built, at the spot where Douglas died, by members of the Hilo Burns Society, including [[David McHattie Forbes]]. It is called ''Ka lua kauka'' ("Doctor's Pit" in the [[Hawaiian language]]), off Mānā Road on the [[Hawaii Island|Island of Hawai{{okina}}i]] ({{Coord| 19|53|17|N| 155|20|17|W|display=inline |type:landmark_region:US-HI |name= Kaluakauka }}).<ref>{{GNIS| 365728 |Kaluakauka }}</ref> A small stand of Douglas fir trees has been planted there.<ref name="greenwell">{{cite journal |title=Kaluakauka Revisited: the Death of David Douglas in Hawaii |journal= Hawaiian Journal of History |author=Jean Greenwell |year=1988 |publisher=Hawaiian Historical Society, Honolulu |volume=22 |pages=147–169 |hdl=10524/246 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Although the common name "Douglas fir" refers to him, the tree's scientific name, ''[[Pseudotsuga]] menziesii'', honours a rival botanist, [[Archibald Menzies]]. Several Hawaiian plants were named after him in earlier taxonomies, such as ''[[Pandanus tectorius]]'' known in Hawaiian as ''hala'', sometimes given the name ''Pandanus douglasii''.<ref name="greenwell"/> A species of "horned toad", ''[[Phrynosoma douglasii]]'', is named in honor of David Douglas.<ref>Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. ("Douglas, D.", p. 75).</ref> Over eighty species of plants and animals have ''douglasii'' in their scientific names, in his honour.  He introduced several hundred plants to Great Britain and hence to Europe.{{sfn |Nisbet |2009 |p=252}} There is a memorial to David Douglas in his birthplace of Scone. [[David Douglas High School]] and the [[David Douglas School District]] in [[Portland, Oregon]] are named after him. Remnants of a greenhouse built by David Douglas can be seen in [[Wood Street Village]], [[Surrey]].

In [[Vancouver, Washington|Vancouver]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], he is remembered via David Douglas Park which was used during [[World War II]] as interim housing for the [[Kaiser Shipyard]] workers living in little silver trailers, giving the area the brief nickname during the era of "Trailer Terrace Park."<ref>Jolotta, Pat. Naming Clark County. Vancouver: Fort Vancouver Historical Society, 1993. Print.  p.15.</ref>

The David Douglas Chapter of [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] was founded in [[Redmond, Washington]] in 1981.

The actor [[Alvy Moore]] was cast as Douglas in the 1962 episode "The Grass Man" of the television series ''[[Death Valley Days]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0556626/|title=The Grass Man in Death Valley Days|publisher=Internet Movie Data Base|date=13 November 1962|access-date=17 July 2019}}</ref>

==Writings==
*{{cite book|author=Douglas, David|title=Journal kept by David Douglas during his travels in North America 1823–1827 : together with a particular description of thirty-three species of American oaks and eighteen species of Pinus, with appendices containing a list of the plants introduced by Douglas and an account of his death in 1834 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalkeptbydav00dougiala|publisher=W. Wesley & Son under the direction of the Royal Horticultural Society|year=1914}} [http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/publications_detail.aspx?p=56 Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection]

==Family==

David Douglas had a son who was named David Finlay.  David Finlay, who was recorded as being an interpreter, died in April 1850 at the hands of [[Blackfeet Nation|Black-feet raiders]]. He lived in [[Montana]], an area where Douglas had spent long periods of time over 20 years previously, which would tie in with the age of his son, who died when he was around 22 years old.  It is not known if David Douglas was aware that he had fathered a child.{{sfn |Nisbet |2009 |pp=105–106}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== Citations==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
*{{cite book |last=Nisbet |first=Jack |title=The Collector : David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest |publisher=Sasquatch Books Distributed by PGW/Perseus |publication-place=Seattle, WA; New York, NY |year=2009 |isbn=9781570617256 |oclc=680284425}}
*Harvey, Athelstan George. ''Douglas Of The Fir: A Biography Of David Douglas Botanist'' (1947) Harvard University Press.
*Morwood, William. ''Traveller in a Vanished Landscape: The Life and Times of David Douglas'' (1973) Gentry Publishing.

==External links==
*[https://collections.rhs.org.uk/collection/80887/rhs-col-5-papers-of-david-douglas Digitised papers of David Douglas at the RHS Lindley Library]
*[http://www.coffeetimes.com/daviddouglas.htm ''Who Killed David Douglas?''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913113954/http://www.coffeetimes.com/daviddouglas.htm |date=13 September 2018 }}
*[http://www.ddbotgarden.bc.ca/ ''The David Douglas Botanical Garden Society – Prince George BC Canada'']
*[http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/daviddouglas.htm Family History]
*Works by [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/creator/17157 David Douglas] at [[Biodiversity Heritage Library]]
*{{cite journal|title=Second Journey to the Northwestern Parts of the Continent of North America: During the Years 1829–'30–'31–'32–'33. V. Account of Mr. Douglas' Second Visit to the Columbia; His Excursions in California|journal=The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society|date=1 September 1905|volume=6|url=https://archive.org/stream/jstor-20609657/20609657#page/n1/mode/1up|access-date=15 April 2013}}
*[http://www.daviddouglasdar.org/ The David Douglas Chapter, NSDAR]
*[http://www.findingdaviddouglas.org/ Finding David Douglas] documentary film project. The 1824–27 Journal is available via the "Douglas's World" menu

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, David}}
[[Category:1799 births]]
[[Category:1834 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Scottish botanists]]
[[Category:19th-century Scottish diarists]]
[[Category:19th-century British explorers]]
[[Category:Botanists with author abbreviations]]
[[Category:Scottish explorers of North America]]
[[Category:Scottish mountain climbers]]
[[Category:British dendrologists]]
[[Category:Botanists active in North America]]
[[Category:Explorers of Oregon]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Hawaii]]
[[Category:People from Perth, Scotland]]
[[Category:Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)]]
[[Category:Scottish plant collectors]]
[[Category:Scottish gardeners]]
[[Category:People from Scone, Perth and Kinross]]
[[Category:Douglas fir]]
[[Category:Deaths due to bull attacks]]