William Rich (botanist) facts for kids

William Rich (1800–1864) was an American botanist and explorer. He was an important part of the United States Exploring Expedition from 1838 to 1842. As a botanist, he studied and collected plants during this big journey.

Early Life and Love for Plants

William Rich was born in 1800. His father, Captain Obadiah Rich, was a brave leader in the American Revolutionary War. William grew up with a strong interest in the natural world.

In 1825, William helped start the Botanic Club of Washington. This club was for people who loved studying plants. He also worked as an editor for a plant magazine called the American Botanical Register from 1825 to 1830. This shows how dedicated he was to botany from a young age.

William also spent some years living in Spain with his older brother, Obadiah Rich. His brother was a bibliographer, someone who studies books and their history.

Exploring New Lands

William Rich joined the United States Exploring Expedition in 1838. This was a huge journey to explore the Pacific Ocean and parts of North America. William's job was to be the expedition's botanist. This meant he collected and studied plants in all the new places they visited.

In 1841, William was part of a group that traveled by land. They went south from the Oregon Territory along the Siskiyou Trail. They explored parts of California before meeting up with the expedition's ships again in San Francisco. He found many new plant species during this part of the journey.

Service as a Major

After the expedition, William Rich served his country in a different way. In 1846, during the Mexican–American War, he became a paymaster. This job meant he was in charge of paying the soldiers. He was given the rank of major.

Major Rich went to California with a group of American volunteers. His nephews, William Rich Hutton and James D. Hutton, joined him. They were both surveyors and artists.

When the war ended in 1848, the volunteer troops were no longer needed. However, Major Rich continued to work as a paymaster until 1849.

Later Work and Legacy

Even after his military service, William Rich continued his work with plants. In 1848, he collected plant samples for the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey. He also collected plants for the Pacific Railroad Surveys in 1853. These surveys helped map out new areas and plan for future railroads.

William Rich also worked for a short time at the United States legation in Mexico. A legation is like a small embassy.

A place in Puget Sound called Rich Passage was named in his honor. It was named by Charles Wilkes, who was the leader of the United States Exploring Expedition. This shows how important William Rich's contributions were to the expedition and to science.