Nationality United States | Name H. Harkness | |
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Died 1901
San Francisco, California Residence Sacramento, California (1850–1869),
San Francisco, California (1869–1901) Fields Mycology, Natural history Institutions California Academy of Sciences Known for Earliest cataloging of California fungal species | ||
Harvey Willson “H.W.” Harkness (May 25, 1821 – July 10, 1901) was an American mycologist and natural historian best known for his early descriptions of California fungal species. Born and raised in Massachusetts and trained as a physician, Harkness came to California during the Gold Rush in 1849. He rose to prominence as physician, educator, real estate developer, and newspaper editor in Sacramento, becoming part of the social circle of early California notables such as Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, Collis Huntington, and Mark Hopkins. Harkness was a participant in the ceremony marking the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, representing California and bearing the Golden Spike that was driven by Leland Stanford marking the completion of the railroad.
Having earned a large fortune in Sacramento real estate, Harkness retired his medical practice in 1869 and relocated to San Francisco. There, he joined the faculty of the California Academy of Sciences, becoming its president from 1887–1896. He devoted himself to research into the natural history of the Pacific States, publishing articles on the age of the Lassen Cinder Cone and the nature of the fossil footprints discovered near Carson City, Nevada.
The bulk of his research was devoted to cataloging the previously undescribed fungi of California. In the last 30 years of his life, Harkness authored or coauthored a number of papers on California fungi, ranging from simple species lists to a detailed monograph of California hypogeous fungi.