Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton facts for kids

Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton (born April 14, 1852 – died October 21, 1941) was an Australian scientist and teacher. He was born in Ireland but moved to Australia when he was a teenager. He became well-known for studying desert plants, how plants are pollinated, and also birds and worms. He even led the Linnean Society of New South Wales for a time.

About Alexander Hamilton

His Early Life and Teaching

Alexander Hamilton was born in Bailieborough, Ireland, on April 14, 1852. His parents were Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton and Joyce Wynne. In 1866, when Alexander was about 14 years old, his family moved to New South Wales, Australia.

Starting His Teaching Career

Soon after arriving in Australia, Alexander passed an exam to teach in country schools. However, he was considered too young to be in charge of a school by himself. So, his mother was officially named the head of the school, and young Alexander worked as her assistant. Even though he was the assistant, he was actually responsible for teaching everything!

Their first school was in Fish River Creek. In mid-1869, his family moved to Meadow Flat, and Alexander was officially put in charge of that school.

In February 1870, Alexander became a temporary assistant teacher at St. Mary's Church of England school in South Creek. Later that year, in October, he moved to Guntawang Public School near Gulgong. He taught there for 17 years.

Learning About Nature

While teaching at Guntawang, Alexander also helped start a local library. He spent a lot of his time studying the natural world around him. He kept many unusual pets, including birds, lizards, kangaroos, and even a platypus.

In 1885, he joined the Linnean Society of New South Wales, which is a group for people who study nature. He started publishing his scientific papers in their journal.

A Leader in Science

In October 1887, Alexander Hamilton became the headmaster of Mount Kembla Public School. He began to study the plants and animals of the rainforest there. He also attended lectures at the University of Sydney to learn even more.

He became very active in scientific groups. He was a council member of the Linnean Society of New South Wales for many years (from 1906 to 1939). He was even the president of this society from 1915 to 1916. He also led the Australian Naturalists' Society of New South Wales twice. Alexander was also a member of other important groups like the Royal Society and the Royal Zoological Society.

Promoting Nature Education

After visiting Western Australia in 1902, Alexander Hamilton felt strongly that nature studies should be taught more in primary schools. He spoke about this idea at an education meeting in April 1904. Because of his efforts, the Department of Education decided to include nature study in primary schools across the state.

In March 1905, he became the headmaster of Willoughby Public School. He also started teaching nature study at Blackfriars and Hurlstone Training colleges. In 1907, he officially joined the Teachers' College in Sydney. He worked very hard, sometimes six days a week, doing both jobs. In 1919, he became a senior lecturer in botany (the study of plants) and nature study. He retired in 1920.

His Important Discoveries

Alexander Hamilton played a very important role in studying pollination in Australia. Pollination is how plants reproduce, often with the help of insects or wind. During his career, he wrote many papers about pollination and how plants are fertilized. He also studied the shapes of desert plants and carnivorous plants (plants that eat insects). He created lists of plants and birds he observed.

In 1887, he also wrote about Australian land planarians, which are a type of flatworm. He even described some new species with another scientist, Joseph James Fletcher.

Animals and Plants Named After Him

Alexander Hamilton's work was so important that several living things were named in his honor. These include:

• The plants Drosera hamiltonii, Pterostylis hamiltonii, and Scaevola hamiltonii.
• A type of earthworm called Spenceriella hamiltonii.
• A subspecies of the southern cassowary, a large bird, named Casuarius casuarius hamiltoni.

Alexander Hamilton passed away at his home in Chatswood on October 21, 1941. He was cremated following Anglican traditions.