.IWl.v -22, IDO'.t. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



13 



., ,iti«ulture, grovviiiff a varied assortmoiit 

 ,1 plu«*f IB lii>^ jjrecnhuuse on (Jainp 



John Thorpe. 



■ • Uueie John" Tliorpe, pioneer llo- 



,-t, unil first ])roisi(lent of the !S. A. l'\, 



.,,ssod peacefully away at his home in 



hioagu oil tlie morning of Tlmrs(hiy, 



||ilv 15, after a long illness. 



.I'ohu Thorpe was boru in Keyhan, 



,icestershire, Knglaud, April 3, 1838. 



;|is love of flowers was an inheritance 



loni several bygone generations, for his 



■iiestorg for two centuries had been 



.iiiiculturists. In childhootl he at- 



. iided the village school, but most of 



]s education, both general and technical, 



.,is acquiretl in the school of practical 



sperieuce. To a greater extent than 



< true of most men, he absorbed knowl- 



■ loe continually whih; engaged in his 



iaily work, until he became unusually 



M'll informed as a botanist and natural- 



.-t as well as horticulturist. 



After learning tlu! rutlinieuts of gar- 

 Icniug from his father, he was appren- 

 ; Hi'd, at the early age of 12 years, to 

 Ills uncle, a skillful gardener. In this 

 \ay ho received practical training, while 

 -lill a mere boy, in all the varied details 

 ■ if gardening, ami as a horticulturist he 

 -live early proof of the ability which 

 iiiadn him in the prime of life one of 

 I he foremost men of his profession. After 

 Moving hia apiirenticeship he took cliarge 

 of the estate of his cousin, T. Turner, 



• >( Little Thorpe, remaining there until 

 \^t)'.>, when he went into business as a 

 market gardener at liristol. In 18G8 ho 



• tigaged iu tlu; nursery business, in com- 

 |iaiiy with a Mr. Hell, at tStratford-ou- 

 A \(pu. 



His activity in connection with tlower 

 -liciws began when he had scarcely 

 M'ached the age of nmnhood. The first 

 >\\n\\ for which he was responsible was 

 lnM In KtMisington (Jardens, London, 

 nearly fifty years ago. Later he was 

 i'lcntified with shows held in the Crystal 

 I'alaco and in the Hoyal Botanic (Jar- 

 lens, also in London, and with scores 

 '<\' other shows held throughout England, 

 >^iotland and Ireland. 



Karly iu his career he received the dis- 

 'inctiou of being created a Fellow of 

 till! Koyal Horticultural Society of Lon- 

 •lon, and although he would certainly 

 have been excusable if he showed a little 

 |<rido Lu appending the letters F. K. IL S. 

 '11 hia name, yet he never made any dis- 

 ;'lay of the title. 



Mr. Thor])e was married on (Jhristmas 

 •lay, lS(j;}, to Miss Clara 8oars, the 

 'laughter of a well-to-do farmer of Lei- 

 ■estersiiire. Tliey have had a family of 

 ^ix children, all of whom were born in 

 'he nei.ghborhood of 8trat fori! on-Avon, 

 :iM(l four of whom are still ■•dive. Mrs. 

 llioriie died June 8, 1901. 



In 1^7l', accompanied by liis wife and 

 'ainily, he came to America and soon 

 •'icanie a jirominent figure in the trade 

 'II the virinity of New Vork city. \ot 

 '"iig after his arrival here, he became 

 ■''•'•ply inijiressetl with the f;ict that one 

 "•' the great needs of the florists of 

 Aiiicriia was (irgaiiizal inn. and lie lirgan 

 '" ai';;ue ]iersisteiit ly in ta\iir of the 

 I'lrination of societies and dubs for 

 "Mitnal lielpfniness. lie was one ut Die 

 most active participant> in the work of 

 "I'ganizing the Society nt American 

 I'iorists in 1SS4 and |n^'). and he was 

 a I'liartcr mendier of' liic soiiely. lie 

 "as clecteil president of the meeting for 

 '"'uanizafion, held at ' iiicago. ,lnne !!•. 

 '^"^f. and was presideiil ilnniig the first 



John Thorpe. 



tw'o years of its history, presiding at the 

 conventions held at Cincinnati in 188;") 

 and at riuiadelphia in 1880. lie was a 

 regular attendant at the annual meet 

 ings until within the last few years. Mr, 

 Thorpe was also oiu» of the most diligent 

 workers in the organization o( the 

 American Carnation Society and the 

 Chrysanthenuim Society of America, and 

 few, if any, accomplished more than he 

 in bringing the chrysantlienuiin intn 

 pojudar favor. 



For the first few years after his arrival 

 in America Mr. Thorpe took care of 

 (iordon park, in Clevtdand. ( ). Then he 

 wcid to (Queens, N. V.. where he was for 

 six years a member of the firm of Hal 

 lock, Son (.V; Thorpe. In l^s", after the 

 dissoluti(m of this partnership, iu' Ixnight 

 wli.it was known as the old llanft prop 

 eity. iiuduiling about •Jd.iioii s(|uare feet 

 of glass, at Pearl l.'iver, N. Y. He 

 inaile the chrysanthemum a leading spe- 

 ci.altx' iind i(jntinne(| in imsines-; there 

 until IMH. 



Mr. Thorpe managed the lir>t iIowit 

 show held in Madison S(|uare (iardeii. 

 New York, and for eigiit years lie was 

 seeret;irv of the llortiruilinal Society ot' 

 New \'ork, of wiiicli lu' w;is alsu a cii.n 

 ler nu'inber. 



(Jne of the (ieari'st e\idence> ut' Mr. 

 Tlidrpe's standing in ids prolessimi was 

 his apiKuntment. in Isii;!. as tin' chief 

 of the nepartment of I'^huiculture at the 

 Wiiilil's ( (iliinibian l]x|iiisit ion at <'lii 

 (•ago. It .\as fr;inkly iicknow li'dgecj by 

 tlie lra(|e and liy llie liinrtni's nt' the fail^ 

 liiat Mr. TliiTjie's ability aiiij untiring 



] energy (•(instituted one nl' tiie chief fac- 

 I tors in the success nf the lloiicult ural 

 I departnu-nt. 



j llt> l:ud out the Wooded Nlimd and 

 I llie Kose (larden at ,l;ickson park, Chi 

 (•ago. He was manager of the first 

 two liowi'i^ shows at Kansas City, in 

 liXii; iind i'.Hi.!, the memor:dde exhibi- 

 tions tinti may be truly said to ha\e in- 

 troduced a new era in the exhibition of 

 (lowers. 



Since that time, except when manag- 

 ing an occasioinil flower show, .Mr. 

 Thorpe has lieen employed chiefly in 

 caring for the gardens jtnd lamlseape 

 work of municipalities, corporat inns and 

 private citizens. He also had leisure to 

 write ()cc;isi(uially for difVerent news- 

 papers ;ind horticultund nmgiizines. 



He is survived by a son. ,(olin Thorpe, 

 of Taiivtown, \. N'.. and bv three dangh 

 ters. .Miss Tliorpe. .Mrs. Flint and .Mrs. 

 Iioniaiiie. of' ('hicagd. He also leaves 

 seven gran(|ciiil(lren. 



The Iniieral was liehl S.iiurd.iv. .Inly 

 17. from tile home ot' his daiiyiiter. .Mrs. 

 I-Tiiit. ;'..'p|'.i I'liiiceton avenue, anij was 

 .illeiideil li\ m:iny in the tnole. The re- 

 mains Were cremated ;iMil the ;islies in 

 Icired upon the s;iuie griMllliI in wliicli 

 Mis. Tlior|ie was laiil .•iway a few vears 

 ai;i.. 



iM-NVi.n. < (11.(1. There was :( iiaii .slorni 

 here eailv in .Inly tli;it broke some gre(>n 

 llduse i;l;is~. bill (|ic| not (jo .-iiiv si.ii,,||s 

 i|;i iii;ii:e. 



TiiK Review sends the Florists' Man- 

 ual, by \Vm. Scott, postpaid, for $.5. 



