Background
Merrill, Elmer Drew was born on October 15, 1876 in East Auburn, Maine, United States. Son of Daniel C. and Mary A. (Noyes) Merrill.
Merrill, Elmer Drew was born on October 15, 1876 in East Auburn, Maine, United States. Son of Daniel C. and Mary A. (Noyes) Merrill.
Bachelor of Science, University Maine, 1898, Master of Science, 1904, Doctor of Science, 1925. Student department medicine George Washington University, 1900-1901. Doctor of Science, Harvard, 1936.
Doctor of Laws, University California, 1936.
Assistant in natural science U. Maine, 1898-1899. Assistant agrostologist United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, 1899-1902. Botanist bureau of Agriculture, Manila, P.I., 1902, bureau of Agriculture and bureau of Forestry, 1902-1903, bureau of Government laboratories, 1903-1905, bureau of Science from 1906.
Associate professor botany and head of department U. Philippines, 1912-1919, professor 1916-1919. Director bureau of Science, Manila, 1919-1923. Dean College of Agriculture and director Agricultural Experiment station University of California, 1923-1929.
Professor botany Columbia, 1930-1935. Director New York Botanical Garden, 1930-1935. Professor botany, director Arnold Arboretum, administrator botanical collections Harvard, 1935-1946, Arnold professor botany.
1946-1948, emeritus. Specializes in taxonomy and phytogeography of Philippine, Polynesian and Indo-Malayan plants.
Member Am, Academy Arts and Sciences, National Academy Sciences, American Philosophical Society, Royal Asiatic Society (Malayan branch). Member Deutsche Botanical Gesellschaft, Netherlands Botanical Society, Royal Netherlands Geological Society, Academy Science, Institute de France, Institute Genevoise, Swedish Academy Science. Member Linnean Society, London (medalist 1939).
Clubs: Century, Harvard of Boston.
Married Mary Augusta Sperry, May 21, 1907. Children: Lynne, Dudley Sperry, Wilmans Noyes (deceased), Annual.