Edward Forster the Younger
Edward Forster the Younger | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Wood Street, Walthamstow, England |
| Died | February 23, 1849 (aged 83) Ivy House, Woodford, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, Botanist |
| Known for | Contributions to banking and botany; early member and officer of the Linnean Society |
Edward Forster the Younger (12 October 1765 – 23 February 1849) was a notable English figure recognized for his contributions to both banking and botany.
Life
Edward Forster the Younger was born on 12 October 1765 at Wood Street, Walthamstow, as the youngest child of Edward Forster the elder and Susanna. His family included brothers Thomas Furly Forster and Benjamin Meggot Forster, along with his sister Susanna Dorothy Forster. He received commercial education in the Netherlands before entering the banking business, joining the firm Forster, Lubbocks, Forster, & Clarke.
At the age of 15, Forster began his botanical studies within Epping Forest. Together with his brothers, he cultivated nearly every herbaceous species known at that time in their father’s garden and contributed plant lists to Gough’s 1789 edition of Camden. He was among the early members of the Linnean Society, established in 1788, where he held positions including treasurer from 1816 and vice-president beginning in 1828. Additionally, he collaborated with his brothers to establish the Refuge for the Destitute located on Hackney Road.
Death and legacy
Forster primarily resided at Hale End in Walthamstow but passed away on 23 February 1849 at the Ivy House in Woodford, London. His death from cholera occurred shortly after he had inspected the Hackney Road Refuge during an epidemic. He was interred in the family vault at Walthamstow. His extensive collection of books and herbarium specimens, amassed throughout England, was sold; botanist Robert Brown purchased the herbarium and subsequently donated it to the British Museum.
The plant species Luzula forsteri bears his name in tribute.
Works
In 1817, Forster released a catalogue detailing British birds but later directed his efforts primarily toward botany. He authored several papers addressing critical British plant species published in the Linnean Society's Transactions, as well as in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History and The Phytologist. His botanical collections from Essex included numerous species that were described in the 1834 Supplement to English Botany.
Family
In 1796, Forster married Mary Jane, daughter of Abraham Greenwood. She passed away in 1846, and they had no surviving children.