Paul George Russell Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0146

Staff Only

Content Description

The Paul George Russell Papers contain clippings, photographs of Russell's retirement in 1959, and biographical information, as well as notes and drafts of his U.S. Department of Agriculture circular "Oriental Flowering Cherries" published in March 1934. The circular provides facts on cultivation and historical details about varieties of ornamental cherries grown in the United States, including trees growing around the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. A published version of the circular is located in the general collection of the National Agricultural Library.

Dates

Creation: 1908-1959

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

Botanist Paul George Russell (1889-1963), began his 50-year career with the federal government in 1908 as a scientific aide and clerk in the National Herbarium, U.S. National Museum. He accompanied J. N. Rose on botanical expeditions to Mexico (1910), the West Indies (1913), and South America (1915). From 1916 to 1959, Russell was employed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Among his various responsibilities as botanist, he was in charge of the introduction of foreign trees upon their arrival in the United States. At the time of his retirement, he was part of the New Crops Research Branch of the Crops Research Division and was a national authority on the identification of plant species by seed alone.