[36 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



became well known to their contemporaries as enthusiastic botan- 

 ists. The elder son, Louis LeConte (1 782-1838), who spent most 

 of his life on the Georgia plantation, published nothing, and we 

 are aware of his botanical attainments only through the testimony 

 of his friends. He was the father of Professors John LeConte 

 (1818-1891) and Joseph LeConte (1823-1901) of the University 

 of California, and grandfather of Joseph Nisbet LeConte, now a 

 professor in the same institution. The younger son, Major John 

 Eatton LeConte (1784- 1860), the botanist, was the father of 

 Professor John Lawrence LeConte (1825-1883), the distinguished 

 entomologist, and grandfather of Dr. Robert Grier LeConte, of 

 Philadelphia. 



John Eatton LeConte, Jr., was born near Shrewsbury, New 

 Jersey, February 22, 1784. He attended Columbia College, re- 

 ceiving the degree of A. B. in 1803, although it is said that the 

 condition of his health prevented him from actually finishing his 

 studies. His interest in the natural sciences, geology, zoology, 

 and especially botany, began, like that of his brother Louis, in 

 early youth. His first botanical paper was published in 181 1, and 

 he was one of the group of young men who organized the Lyceum 

 of Natural History of New York in 181 7. He entered the United 

 States army as an assistant topographical engineer, with the rank 

 of Captain, in April, 1818; in 1828 he was brevetted Major for 

 ten years' faithful service in one grade. Ill health compelled him 

 to resign his commission in 183 1 , and he did not fully recover for 

 many years. 



During his service in the army he married Mary A. H. Lawrence, 

 of New York City, who died not many weeks after the birth of 

 their son, and this event cast a permanent shadow over his life. 

 It is said that every year, unless prevented by illness, he made a 

 pilgrimage alone to the grave of his wife, in Virginia. "No one 

 was ever asked to go with him; not her only living child, his sou." 

 After his withdrawal from military service he lived the quiet life 

 of a retired, army officer and semi-invalid for many years, devoting 

 much time to his favorite scientific pursuits; his later interests 

 became centered particularly upon entomology, in which his son 

 afterward became so proficient. His water-color work included 

 not only the earlier plant-portraits now reproduced, but thousands 

 of drawings of inserts, which were preserved and utilized by his son. 



He made his home in New York City until 1852. Following 



