Ethel Bailey Higgins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ethel Bailey Higgins
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Botanist Ethel Bailey Higgins, aboard the San Agustin II, 1962. San Diego Natural History Museum Belvedere Expedition, Gulf of California. (Photo: San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library)
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| Born | August 10, 1866 Vassalboro, Maine, United States
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| Died | March 9, 1963 (aged 96) San Diego, California, United States
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| Nationality | American |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | San Diego Natural History Museum |
Ethel Bailey Higgins (August 10, 1866 – March 9, 1963) was an amazing American botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants! She worked at the San Diego Natural History Museum for many years. From 1943 to 1957, she was the main plant expert, called the curator of botany. After that, she continued helping as an associate curator until 1963. Ethel Higgins also wrote a famous book called Our Native Cacti in 1931. She wrote other popular books about plants found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ethel Phoebe Bailey was born on August 10, 1866. Her hometown was Vassalboro, Maine. Her parents were Mary E. Pearson and George L. Bailey. Ethel went to school at the Wesleyan Seminary and Female College. Today, this school is known as Kents Hill School in Readfield, Maine.
From Photography to Botany
In 1900, Ethel moved to Los Angeles, California. She moved there with her parents. Ethel started her career as a photographer. She first worked in Frank G. Shumacher's studio. Later, she opened her own photography studio. She loved taking pictures of plants and flowers.
Ethel took over 300 photos of different plants. To properly identify them, she started studying botany. This is how her love for plant science grew!
Exhibitions and First Book
In 1914, Ethel married John C. Higgins. The next year, they moved to San Diego. During the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, Ethel showed her work. She displayed hand-tinted photos of wildflowers. This exhibition was held in Balboa Park.
In 1931, Ethel Higgins wrote her first book. It was titled Our Native Cacti. This book became very popular.
Work at the Museum
Ethel Higgins joined the San Diego Natural History Museum in 1933. She worked hard and became the curator of botany in 1943. This happened after Frank Gander, the previous curator, retired.
As curator, Ethel made the first lists of plants in San Diego County. She published "Annotated Distributional List of the Ferns and Flowering Plants of San Diego County, California" in 1949. She also published "Type Localities of Vascular Plants in San Diego County, California" in 1959. These lists helped other scientists. Later, these plant lists were updated by other botanists.
Expeditions and Later Years
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Ethel went on many research trips. These trips were with the museum. She collected plant samples in Baja California. She also visited islands in the Gulf of California.
Ethel became an associate curator in 1957. She worked with Reid Venable Moran, who became the new curator. Together, they helped grow the museum's plant collection. She wrote guides about plants and trees in Southern California. Ethel continued collecting plant samples in Mexico even into her 90s!
Ethel Higgins passed away on March 9, 1963. She died in San Diego, California.
