Cowan, Richard Sumner   (1921 - 1997)

Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, U.S.A., on 23 January 1921, died in Perth, Western Australia on 17 November 1997.

Taxonomist and bibliographer, who worked for much of his life at the New York Botanical Garden (1948-1957) and Smithsonian Institution (1957-1985). A leading proponent and supporter of Index Nominum Genericorum, and co-author with Frans Stafleu of Taxonomic Literature 2nd edn (TL-2).

Retired to Perth, Western Australia in 1986, where he continued his lifetime interest in taxonomic studies of legumes, particularly Mimosaceae and Caesalpiniaceae. In Australia he contributed to Flora of Australia Volumes 11, 12 and 13 (Acacia and numerous genera in Caesalpiniaceae and Fabaceae), as well as publishing separately on Acacia.

On August 23, 1986, he married Roberta Ann Townsend (née Tobias), and as Roberta Cowan she assisted him with field collecting. He had a stroke in 1997, from which he recovered, but after a fall, he died from the effects of brain trauma on November 17, 1997.

His collections are in A, BISH, GH, NY, PERTH, US and WAB.

Source: Extracted from: A.E.Orchard (1999) A History of Systematic Botany in Australia, in Flora of Australia Vol.1, 2nd ed., ABRS. [consult for source references]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Sumner_Cowan
Portrait: Smithsonian Institution Archives: https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_10038

Collecting localities for 'Cowan, R.S.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 987 specimens