Margaret Clay Ferguson (1863–1951) was an American botanist best known for advancing scientific education in the field of botany.[1] She also contributed on the life histories of North American pines.
Ferguson became the first female President of the Botanical Society of America in 1929 and began working as a professor of botany and head of the department at Wellesley College in 1930.[2] She collected botany specimens with her niece Alice Maria Ottley.[3]
Seasonal Display House in the Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses at Wellesley College
Ferguson studied a variety of systems including Fungi, Pine and Petunia. Her study on the latter revealed how plant flower color and pattern do not follow Mendelian laws of inheritance. Ferguson encouraged many women botanists during her time at Wellesley College, where lab work was a major part of her teaching.[2]
In 1931, Susan Minns donated funds to Wellesley College to support Ferguson in her research.[4] In 1932, Ferguson retired from Wellesley College, though she continued researching until 1938. She received an Honorary doctorate from Mount Holyoke.
^Carey, Jr, Charles W. (February 2000). "Ferguson, Margaret Clay". American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
^Shearer, Benjamin F.; Shearer, Barbara S., eds. (1996). Notable women in the life sciences : a biographical dictionary. Westport, Conn. [u.a.]: Greenwood Press. pp. 128–131. ISBN0313293023.