Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785–1865) was a
preeminent British botanist and illustrator, best known as the first official Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Key Career Highlights
Director of Kew Gardens (1841–1865): Appointed as the first full-time director, he transformed Kew from a neglected royal garden into a world-leading scientific institution. He expanded the site from 11 to over 300 acres and oversaw the construction of the iconic Palm House.
Academic Career: Before Kew, he served as the Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University (1820–1841), where he significantly increased student enrollment and developed the Glasgow Botanic Garden.
Botanical Illustrator: A skilled artist, he illustrated many of his own works. He is often distinguished from a contemporary botanical illustrator also named William Hooker (1779–1832).
Major Contributions & Legacy
Scientific Advancement: He was a prolific author of over 100 volumes, including Flora Scotica (1821) and Species Filicum (1846–64), and was a leading authority on cryptogamic botany (ferns, mosses, and algae).
Herbarium & Library: His vast private collection of over one million specimens and 13 rooms of books formed the foundation of the world-renowned Kew Herbarium and Library.
Economic Botany: He founded the Museum of Economic Botany at Kew in 1847 to study plants useful for food, medicine, and industry.
Family Successor: Upon his death in 1865, he was succeeded at Kew by his son, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, a famous explorer and close friend of Charles Darwin.
