Torrey Botanical Society

Members of the group, including Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, founded the New York Botanical Garden.

The Torrey Botanical Society is an organization for people interested in plant life, including professional and amateur botanists, students, and others who simply enjoy nature. The society, which began informally in the 1860s under the aegis and inspiration of Columbia College Professor John Torrey, is thought to be the oldest botanical society in America. The early members were amateur botanists, students, and colleagues of Dr. Torrey, who were interested in collecting and identifying plants and occasionally met in the evening to discuss their findings. The organization was named with the appearance of its first publication, Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, in 1870, and was incorporated in 1871. The Society has published a scientific journal since that time, and currently publishes the Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society quarterly. Today, the objectives of the Society are “to promote interest in botany, and to collect and disseminate information on all phases of plant science.” These objectives are fulfilled through public lectures, field trips, fellowships and awards that support scholarship and research, and publications. Through outreach and publications, the society has become an international organization and is affiliated with the American Institute of Biological Sciences.

Below is a list of all individuals who have served as Editor, Editor-in-Chief or Chairman during the publishing history of the Torrey Botanical Society from 1870 until the present day. Each head editor's name is followed by their tenure. Note that some names appear twice. • Editor Name — Tenure as Head Editor| • William Henry Leggett — (1870–1882) • William Ruggles Gerard* — (1884–1885) • Elizabeth Gertrude Britton — (1886–1888) • Nathaniel Lord Britton — (1889–1897) • Lucien M. Underwood — (1897–1903) • John Hendley Barnhart — (1904–1907) • Marshall Avery Howe — (1908–1910) • Philip Dowell — (1911–1912) • Edward Lyman Morris — (1913–1913) • Alexander William Evans — (1914–1923) • Herbert McKenzie Denslow — (1924–1924) • Tracy Elliot Hazen — (1925–1931) • Bernard Ogilvie Dodge — (1932–1934) • Mintin Asbury Chrysler — (1935–1938) • Roger Philip Wodehouse — (1939–1940) • Harold W. Rickett — (1941–1949) • Charles A. Berger — (1950–1959) • James E. Gunckel — (1960–1962) • Murray Fife Buell — (1963–1969) • Gily E. Bard — (1970–1975) • H. David Hammond — (1976–1981) • James E. Gunckel — (1983–1987) • H. David Hammond — (1988–1992) • Stewart Ware — (1993–1997) • Beverly Collins — (1998–2002) • Brian C. MacCarthy — (2002–2013) • Ryan W. McEwan — (2014–2021) • Carolyn Copenheaver — (2021-present) • (Presumably acting head editor from Leggett's death in 1882 until his official appointment.)

• TBS Lectures run from October through May at the New York Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Botanic Garden and are free and open to the public. • TBS field trips run from April through October throughout New York City and surrounding environs and are free and open to the public.