Asa Gray

Asa Gray ForMemRS (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) was an American botanist who was considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His Darwiniana (1876) was considered by some as an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually exclusive. Gray was adamant that a genetic connection must exist between all members of a species. He was also strongly opposed to the ideas of hybridization within one generation and special creation in the sense of its not allowing for evolution. Gray was a strong supporter of Darwin while at the same time being a proponent of theistic evolution.

As a professor of botany at Harvard University for several decades, Gray regularly visited, and corresponded with, many of the leading natural scientists of the era, including Charles Darwin, who held great regard for him. Gray made several trips to Europe to collaborate with leading European scientists of the era, as well as trips to the southern and western United States. He also built an extensive network of specimen collectors.