Career
He specialized in the study of liverworts (Hepaticae) and algae, and also an expert on and cultivator of dahlias and other ornamental plants. He was Instructor in cryptogamic botany at the University of California at Berkeley. He was appointed curator of the New York Botanical Garden in 1906, assistant director in 1923, and director in 1935 after the death of Elmer Drew Merrill.
In collecting for the gardens, he made numerous expeditions collecting algae and liverworts.
He served as secretary then president of the Board of Trustees of the Pleasantville Free Library.
