Walter Tennyson Swingle

Background

Swingle, Walter Tennyson was born on January 8, 1871 in Canaan, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of John Fletcher and Mary (Astley) Swingle.

Education

Received early schooling at home. Bachelor of Science, Kansas State Agricultural Company, 1890, Master of Science, 1896. University of Bonn, 1895-1896.

University of Leipzig, 1898.

Doctor of Science, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1922.

Career

Assistant boanist Kansas Agricultural Experimental Station, 1888. United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau Plant Industry, 1891-1841. Collaborator since 1941.

Consultant tropical botany, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, since 1941.

Organizing large scale preparation of serial microtome sections herbarium and fresh material economic plants. Investigated for Department Agriculture the agriculture and botany of France, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Spain, Greece, The Balkans, Asia Minor, China, Japan, Philippines, Mexico.

Introduced the fig insect into California, 1899, thereby rendering possible culture of Smyrna type figs. First successful shipment standard varieties of date palms from Algeria into California and Arizona, 1900, in charge establishment commercial culture of date palm, 1900-1934.

Owns and operates an experimental date garden of Indio, California.

Helped to establish Egyptian cotton in Arizona. Originated by hybridization in Florida, citranges, limequats, tangelos and other new citrus fruits. Discovered neophyosis (rejuvenescence of old citrus varieties from nucellar buds seedlings, thereby eliminating all virus infections).

First proved existence of centrosomes in plants.

Originated name and theory of metaxenia for direct effect of pollen on dates, 1928. Introduced many new corporation plants alkaloid-yielding species of Ephedra and high-yeilding strains of tropical tung (abrasin).

Achievements

• Walter Tennyson Swingle has been listed as a noteworthy botanist, agriculturist by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Fellow and life; member Washington Academy Sciences, Washington Academy Medicine (past vice president). Member Academy Natural Science (Philadelphia), American Botanical Society, Society National d’Acelimination de France. Member Academie d’Agriculture de France.

Club: Cosmos.

Connections

Married Lucie Romstaedt, June 8, 1901 (died 1910). Married second, Maude Kellerman, October 2, 1915. Children: John William, Stella (Mistress Stanley F. Reed), Frank Anthony, Mary (Mistress Francis L. Albert, Junior).

Father:

John Fletcher Swingle

Mother:

Mary (Astley) Swingle

Spouse:

Maude Kellerman

Spouse:

Lucie Romstaedt

child:

Stella Swingle (Mistress Stanley F. Reed)

child:

John William Swingle

child:

Mary (Mistress Francis L. Albert Swingle

child:

Frank Anthony Swingle

child:

Junior) Swingle