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Rolla Kent Beattie
Papers, 1899-1956
Cage 318

Rolla Kent Beattie

The papers of R. Kent Beattie, 1875-1960, were donated to the Washington State University Herbarium during the period from 1956 through 1960 by Mr. Beattie.

BIOGRAPHY

Rolla Kent Beattie was born in Ohio in 1875. He began his botanical career as a student of Charles Bessey at the University of Nebraska. He was an Instructor, then Professor of Botany, at Washington State University from 1899 to 1912, after which he joined the United States Department of Agriculture research staff at Washington, D. C. and remained there as a forest pathologist until retirement in 1946. During his retirement, he traveled extensively and began again the examinations of Northwest Flora which he had largely abandoned in 1912.

In his earlier years, Beattie’s position was mainly that of a collaborator of the more illustrious Charles Vancouver Piper. The work of the two tended to become so intermingled that the respective contributions could not be discerned. However, Beattie’s contribution appears to have been his knowledge of herbaria and literature resources, while Piper had a greater familiarity with field botany and theory. In later years, as Beattie began to see himself as Piper’s successor, his approach continued to follow the line of herbarium and library research. In fact, he took up the line suggested by the "American Rule" school to a much greater degree than had Piper. During this time Beattie amassed a vast compilation of notes on the development of Northwest botany, in which he examined virtually every treatment of all Northwest species from the initial "discovery," through any and all revisions. He also collected much biographical material relative to the various botanists concerned with Northwest Flora.

Beattie spent most of his retirement years collecting this material. His death in 1960 in Bethesda, Maryland followed four years of failing health.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PAPERS

The papers of Rolla Kent Beattie consist of his correspondence relative to Northwest botany and his compilation of notes and references to literature on Northwest plants and botanists. Included in his letterbooks are drafts of articles about the spread of introduced plants, as well as considerable correspondence about plants sent to Washington State University by the public for identification.

ARRANGEMENT OF THE PAPERS

Beattie’s correspondence is arranged in chronological sequence. The materials in his notes are divided into foldered materials, arranged in an alphabetical sequence of biographical subjects, and a card file which contains four parts. First, a section on Northwest flora, arranged according to a standard botanical classification arrangement, with species ordered alphabetically within each genus. A second section consists of biographical information arranged alphabetically by the names of Northwest botanists. A third section consists of extensive notes on David Douglas. Fourth is a partial geographic index of Northwest plants, arranged according to region.

An index for this collection is available in Manuscripts Archives and Special Collections. Additional Botanical manuscripts in MASC may be found in the following collections:

Cage 53 Botanical Papers, 1881-1973
Cage 316 Cusick, William Conklin Papers, 1906-1924
Cage 317 Piper, Charles Vancouver Papers, 1888-1926
Cage 315 Suksdorf, Wilhelm Nicolaus Papers, 1867-1935
Cage 319 St. John, Harold Papers, 1912-1957

SERIES

I. Correspondence Container 1-2

II. Northwest Botany notes 3-15

A. Foldered material

1. Biographical information

2. Type localities

3. Personal research notes

B. Card File 16

1. Northwest Flora

2. Biographical information

3. David Douglas biographical information

4. Geographic index

CONTAINER LIST

CORRESPONDENCE

Container	Folder	Dates	Approx. No. of Items
1	1	1899-1906	175
	2	1907-1910	225
	3	1911-1915	180
	4	1915-1956	150
2	5	Letterbook, May 1904-July 1905	1 v.
	6	Lettebook, April 1906-Jan. 1907	1 v.

NORTHWEST BOTANY NOTES

Container	Names
3
	Abbot, E. K.
	Abrams, LeRoy
	Agassiz, Alexander
	Agricultural History
	Allen, Miss A. J.
	Anderson, A. C.
	Applegate, Elmer J.
	Austin, Mrs. R. M.
	Bailey, Liberty Hyde
	Ball, John
	Banks, Sir Joseph
	Barclay, George
	Barett, Mrs. P. G.
	Barnhart, John Hendley (biographies)
	Baronoff, A. A.
	Bartram, William
	Baumgarten, Hermann
	Bebb, M. S.
	Beechey, F. W.
	Belcher, Capt. Sir Edward
	Benson, Lyman
	Bentham, George
	Berthand, E. L.
	Bessey, Charles
	Bethel, Ellsworth
	Bigelow, Jacob
	Billings
	Blake, William P.
	Blasdale, W. C.
	Bloodgood, C. Delavan (Sitka)
	Bolander, Hendry N.
	Bolton, H. E. (ANZA)
	Bongard (at Nootka)
	Bonneville, B. L. E.
	Brackenridge, W. D.
	Bradbury, John
	Brainerd, Ezra
	Brandegee, T. S. and Katherine
	Brandel, Joseph
	Brewer, William H.
	Britton, Nathaniel Lord
	Brodie, David
	Brown, Jennie Broughton
	Brown, Robert, of Campster
4	Brown, Robert, of Campster
	Burke, Joseph
	Butters, Frederick King
	Caldwell, Joseph
	Cannon, Evalina
	Carruth, W. W.
	Chamissot de Boncourt, Adlebertus
	Christ, J. H.
	Christensen, Carl
	Clayton, John
	Collins, J. Franklin
	Collinson, Peter
	Coltman-Rogers, Charles
	Compton, T. B.
	Cook, Capt. James
	Cooley, J. G.
	Cooper, J. G.
	Coulter, John Merle
	Coville, Frederick
	Curtis’ Botanical Magazine
	Cusick, William Conklin
	Dachnowski-Stokes, A. O.
	Damon, Samuel
	Dana, James D.
	Darlington, H. T.
	David, Abbe
	Davis, Mrs. N. J.
	Dayton, William a.
	Delacour, Jean
	Delano, Amasa
	Demofras, Duflot
	Dewey, Chester
	Dietz, H. F.
	Diller, J. S.
5	Douglas, David (4 folders)
6	Douglas, Sir James
	Douglas, Robert
	Douglas, William O.
	Donaldson, A. B.
	Drake, Capt. Francis
	Drummond, Thomas
	Eastwood, Alice
	Eaton, Amos
	Eaton, Walter P.
	Edwards’ Botanical Register
	Eggleston, Willard W.
	Elmer, A. P. E.
	Englemann, George
	Epling, Carl
	Ermantinger, Edward
	Eschscholtz, Johan
	Espinoza y Tello, Jose
	Etches, Jon
	Evans, John
	Fernald, M. L.
	Findler, Augustus
	Flett, J. B.
	Forbes, Charles
	Franchere, Gabriel
	Fraser, Simon
	Fremont, John C.
	Frye, Else M.
	Fuller, George W.
	Gabrielson, Ira N.
	Gairdner, Meredith
	Gambel, William
	Gannett
	Gardners’ Magazine (London)
	Garry, Nicholas
	Geiser, Samuel Wood
	Geology of the Pacific Northwest
	Geyer, Karl Andreas
	Ghent, W. J.
	Gibbs, George
	Golder, Frank A.
	Good
	Gorman, M. W.
	Gould, Dorothy Fay
	Gray, Asa
	Gray, Capt. Robert
	Gray Herbarium
7	Greene, E. L.
	Griffith, David
	Haenke, Thaddaeus
	Hancock, Samuel
	Harshberger, John William
	Hartwig, Theodor
	Hatch, W. R.
	Hayden, F. V.
	Hecata, Bruno
	Heller, Amos Arthur
	Hemenway, Ansel
	Henderson, L. F.
	Henky, Alexander
	Hilgard, Eugene Waldemar
	Hitchcock, A. S.
	Holway, E. W. D.
	Hone, D. S.
	Hooker, Joseph Dalton
	Hooker, William Jackson
	Horsford, F. H.
	Hough, J. B.
	House, Homer D.
	Howard, L. O.
	Howell, John T.
	Howell, Thomas and Joseph
	Hudson’s Bay Company
	Hulten, Eric
	Ingram, D. C.
	James, Edwin
	Jefferson, Thomas
	Jennings, O. E.
	Jepson, Willis Linn
	Jewitt, S.
	Johnson, J. E.
	Jones, George Neville
	Jones, Marcus E.
	Juan de Fuca
	Judson, Katherine
	Kalm, Peter
	Kauffman, Karl F.
	Kelley, Hall J.
	Kellogg, Albert
	Kew Collections
	Kimmel, Edward
	Kin, Mattias
	Kip, Lawrence
	Kleeberger, George R.
	Kotzebue, Otto von
	La Gasca y Segura, Mariano
	La Perouse
	Lake and Hull
	Lamson-Scribner, F.
	Laut, Agnes
	Leiberg, John B.
8	Lemmon, J. G.
	Lesquereux, Leo
	Lewis, Meriwether (and William Clark)
	Lindley, John
	Linnean Society of London
	Linnaeus, Carolus
	Lobb, William
	Luders, F. G. J.
	Lutke, Frederic
	Lyall, David
	Lyman, W. D.
	Lyons, Maj. H. G.
	Mackenzie, Alexander
	McKenzie, Donald
	Macoun, John
	Malispina Expedition
	Mayne, R. N.
	Marcy, Oliver
	Maxon, William R.
	Meader, James
	Meany, Edmond S.
	Meares, John
	Meehan, Thomas
	Meinecke, E. P.
	Menzies, Archibald
	Merriam, C. Hart
	Merrille, C. D.
	Mertens, Henry
	Meyer, Frank N.
	Michaux, Andre
	Michaux, Francois Andre
	Miyabe, Kingo
	Mocino, D. Jose Mariano
	Mourelle, Don Francisco Antonio
	Munro, William
	Murchison, Sir Roberick
	Murray, Andrew
	National Herbarium
	Nautical Magazine
	Nee, Luis
	Neilson, Thomas G.
	Nelson, Aven
	Nelson, David
	Nevius, Reuben Denton
	Newberry, J. S.
	Newcombe, C. F.
	Nordhorr, Charles
	Northwest Passage (by K. Roberts)
	Nuttall, Thomas
	Page, Elizabeth
	Pallas, P. S.
	Palliser, John
	Palmer, Edward
	Parish, S. B.
9	Parker, Rev. Samuel
	Parry, C. C.
	Paullin, Charles O.
	Paxton, Sir Joseph
	Peck, Morton E.
	Pennell, Francis W.
	Perez Expedition
	Pickering, Charles
	Pinch, Jeremy
	Piper, Charles V. (General Information)
	Piper, Charles V. (Index to Flora of Washington)
	Piper, Charles V. (Herbarium) 4 folders
10	Piper, Charles V. (Herbarium) 2 folders
	Piper, Charles V. (Index to notes, pp. 1-1131)
	Plant introduction into America
	Portlock, Capt. Nathaniel
	Postels, Alexander
	Pringle, Cyrus G.
	Pursh, Frederick
	Rafinesque, C. S.
	Ramsbottom, John
	Rees, Abraham
	Rich, William (Hutton)
	Richards, C. Audrey
	Rigg, George B.
	Rogers, H. Thomas
	Roll, Julius
	Rosendahl, C. O.
	Rugel, Ferdinand
	Ruiz, Hipolito
	Rusby, H. H.
	St. John, Harold
	Sandberg, J. H.
11	Sargent, Charles Sprague
	Schafer, Joseph
	Scouler, John
	Scribner, Frank (see Lamson-Scribner)
	Seeman, Berthold
	Seese, Martin
	Shinn, Charles H.
	Simpson, George
	Smet, P. J. de
	Smith, Alexander
	Smith, Charles Piper
	Smith, Jedediah
	Sorel, Henry Andrew
	Spalding, Rev. H. H.
	Spaulding, Perley
	Sperlin, O. B.
	Spillman, W. J.
	Sperlin, O. B.
	Spillman, W. J.
	Stacey, J. W.
	Stevens, Isaac I.
	Stevens, Neil E.
	Stevens, O. A.
	Stewart, Sir William G. P.
	Strange, James
	Sudworth, George B.
	Suksdorf, Wilhelm
	Swallen, Jason R.
	Swallow, Prof.
	Swan, James
	Sweetser, A. R.
	Thompson, David
	Thorington, J. Monroe
	Tidestrom, Ivar T.
	Tolmie, W. F.
	Torrey, John
	Tuckerman, Edward
	Tweedy, Frank
	Vancouver, George
	Vancouver Island
	Vasey, George and George R.
	Vizcaino
	Wagner, Henry R.
	Whetzel, Herbert H.
11	Wildox, E. T.
	Whited, Kirk
	Wilkes, Expedition
	Wilks, W.
	Willson, Beckles
	Wilson, Ernest
	Winsor, Justin
	Wood, Alonzo
	Wood, C. B.
	Wood, C. W.
	Work, John
	Wright, Charles
	Wyeth, Nathaniel
	Wynd, F. Lyle
	Young Naturalists Society of Seattle
	Zeller, S. M.
12	Type Localities (4 folders)
13	Geographic Notes: Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, British Columbia (Nootka), California, Northwest America localities
14	Personal Notes
	British Museum (South Kensington)
	Washington State University Herbarium
	University of Idaho, Southern Branch, Herbarium
	University of Oregon
	Texas
	Rusby Herbarium
	California Academy of Sciences
	Colorado Agriculutural and Mechanical College Herbarium
	Collection in the Pacific Northwest, 1946
	Miscellaneous notes of Northwest botany
	Notes for Piper and Beattie’s Floras, 1914-1915
15	Berberidaceae
	Circaea
	Fagacaea
	Impatiens
	Mimulus
	Tobacco
	Plants to be looked for in the Siskiyou Mountains
16	Card File
	Northwest Flora Drawers: 1-6
	Biographical Notes Drawers: 6-7
	David Douglas Notes Drawers: 7
	Geographic Notes Drawers: 7-8