Sir Arthur George Tansley, 1871–1955

1871

Born 15 August, 33 Regent Square, London, to George and Amelia (née Lawrence). George taught at the Working Men’s College, Gt Ormond St.

1883

Preparatory School, Worthing, Sussex

1886

Highgate School, London

1889

Studied for the Intermediate Science examination, University College, London (UCL)

1890

Natural Sciences Tripos, Trinity College, Cambridge. Part I 1893, Part II 1894 (botany with zoology subsidiary)

1893–1906

Assistant professor of Botany, UCL. Assisted Professor FW Oliver with studies of coastal vegetation.

1900

Visited Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Malay peninsula and Egypt

1902

Founded the New Phytologist, which he edited until 1931

1903

Married Edith Chick, 30 August at Branscombe, nr Honiton, Devon

1904

Daughter Katharine born. Founded the Central Committee for the Survey and Study of British Vegetation (i.e. British Vegetation Committee). Committee members formed the first Council of the British Ecological Society (BES) in 1913.

1905

Daughter Margaret born (3rd daughter, Helen, born 1909)

1907

Lecturer in botany, University of Cambridge until 1923

1911

Organised the first International Phytogeographic Excursion

1913

First President of the BES, founded 12 April

1915

Elected Fellow of the Royal Society

1917

Editor of Journal of Ecology until 1937

1920

Published The New Psychology in Relation to Life

1922

Visited Sigmund Freud in Vienna

1923

President Botanical Section, K, British Association for the Advancement of Science. Resigned University lectureship and moved his family to Vienna. Studied under Freud.

1924

Returned to his home in Grantchester, Cambridge. At the Imperial Botanical Congress, was made Chairman of the British Empire Vegetation Committee.

1927

Appointed Sherardian Professor of Botany, University of Oxford

1937

Retired to Grantchester

1938

President of BES (second term)

1941

Awarded Gold Medal of the Linnean Society

1942

Appointed chair of the BES’s new committee on ‘Nature Conservation and Nature Reserves’

1945

Vice-chair and chair of the government’s Wild Life Conservation Special Committee (associated with the ‘Hobhouse Committee’ exploring the establishment of National Parks). Recommended formation of the Nature Conservancy, which should establish National Nature Reserves.

1947

President of the Council for the Promotion of Field Studies (i.e. Field Studies Council) until 1953

1949

Chairman of the new Nature Conservancy (which later evolved into the Natural Environment Research Council)

1950

Knighted

1955

Died 25 November at Grantchester (Edith died 1970)