81 

 Elizabeth < rBB i fti db Bri i roH 



The Torrey Botanical (-"lull notes, with great regret, the passing "f l.li/.i- 

 beth Gertrude Britton (Mrs. Nathaniel Lord Britton) on February 25, 1934; 

 Mrs. Britton, then Elizabeth Gertrude Knight, was elected to membership in 

 the CI ul) mi I December 9, 1879, and was thus a member for more than fifty-four 

 years — a longer term of continuous active membership than was ever enjoyed 

 by any other person with the exception of her distinguished husband. She be- 

 camea life member in 19.?0. For ten yearsafter her graduation from the Normal 

 College of New York (later Hunter College) she was a teacher in that institu- 

 tion. For three years, 1886-1888, she was the editor of the Bulletin of the Tor- 

 rev Botanical Club. 



Mrs. Britton was one of the group of members of the Torrey Botanical 

 Club who were most active in promoting the idea of establishing a botanical 

 garden in the City of New York. In fact, the first suggestion of such a garden 

 has been traced to a remark that she made to Professor Britton during a visit 

 to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in the summer of 1888. 



Mrs. Britton was for many years the leading authority on the mosses of 

 North America and did much in popularizing their study and in developing 

 and inspiring specialists in the taxonomy of this group of plants. She was the 

 first and only woman elected to membership in the original Botanical Society 

 of America, at a time when membership was limited to those who had distin- 

 guished themselves in research. In 1902, she was a prime-mover in organizing 

 The Wild Flower Preservation Society of America and was for many years its 

 executive secretary and treasurer. By her writings and lectures and by exten- 

 sive correspondence, she aroused and developed sentiment in favor of protect- 

 ing attractive plants that were in danger of extermination, especially in the 

 vicinity of the larger cities. Her efforts resulted directly or indirectly in the 

 passing of laws for the protection of our native flora in various states, in the 

 establishment of branch societies for wild-flower preservation, and in the de- 

 velopment of conservation activities in thousands of schools and garden clubs. 



Resolved, That the members of the Torrey Botanical Club hereby 

 record their profound sorrow over the loss of their long-time associate, 

 Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, and hereby express their admiration of the 

 very unusual intellectual endowments that enabled her to make such im- 

 portant contributions to American bryology and to play such an influ- 

 ential part in developing sentiment favorable to the conservation of our 

 native flora. 



Resolved, That the foregoing preamble and resolution be entered upon 

 the minutes of the Club and that copies thereof be transmitted to Doctor 

 Britton and to other members of her family, with warmest sympathy. 



Marshall A. Howe 

 Robert A. Harper 

 Margaret A. Graham 

 Committee 



