The Prof. Harris M. Benedict Memorial Lecture

Known largely for his role as the founder and first chairperson of the Botany Department at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Harris M. Benedict was a dedicated scientist with many interests.  He was a prominent plant physiologist who perfected an irrigation system designed to prevent drought injuries to cultivated plants, including ornamentals.  He published many scientific articles and served as an advisor to several students, including Dr. E. Lucy Braun.  He was honored as the president of the Ohio Academy of Sciences in 1927.

 Harris Benedict was born Dec. 8, 1873 in Buda, Illinois and was one of five boys.  He spent the early part of his life in Buda, but later moved to Crete, Nebraska, where the family bought twenty acres of land on the outskirts of town.  It was here that Harris was introduced to gardening and a love of nature.  After his father died, the Benedict family survived on income generated from their seed business and garden, selling vegetables in the town.  Harris received his B.A. degree at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska in 1894.  Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska so the children could attend the state university.  Harris entered the University of Nebraska, where he received his B.S. degree in 1896 and his M.A. one year later.  In 1902, he was hired by the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati as an instructor in botany, and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1904.  On June 14, 1906, Harris Benedict married Florence McCrea in Cincinnati.  Just two years later, he was promoted to Associate Professor, a position he continued until he was honored as a Full Professor in 1911.  In 1914, he successfully obtained his Ph.D. degree from Cornell University, while still continuing his job in Cincinnati.  That same year, he was chosen to form and lead the new Botany Department at the University of Cincinnati after the biology department split into botanical and zoological divisions. 

Dr. Benedict was intensively interested in the relationship between nature and humans.  He frequently gave lectures on the relation of plants to human life and how modern botany must contribute to human progress.  He organized garden courses for teachers in the Cincinnati school system and also argued for the establishment of a permanent plant exposition center in Cincinnati.  In addition, he was one of the founders of the Cincinnati Wildflower Preservation Society, an organization that continues today.  Although known primarily for his botanical pursuits, he was also an avid birder and taught ornithology at the Ohio Military Institute in Cincinnati.  His classes there were extremely popular as were the field trips.  In 1908, he founded and directed the Emery Bird Reserve in Cincinnati, the first such bird reserve in the city.

Dr. Benedict’s dedication as a teacher is evident in his popularity and respect among undergraduate and graduate students.  He inspired a group of graduate students to join together in 1902 to form the Blue Hydra Society.  This society became a formal club at the university and included E. Lucy Braun as one of its members.  The Blue Hydra Society was instrumental in raising funds to purchase the Hazelwood Preserve, now known as the Harris Benedict Botanical Preserve. 

Unfortunately, Dr. Benedict’s life was cut short on Oct. 17, 1928 in an automobile accident while driving to the university with some of his children.  He was only 54 years old.  Tragically, his daughter Jean was also killed in the collision.  News of their death filled the front pages of the local newspapers for several days and tributes to the Benedicts quickly flowed in. It is only fitting that on the 75th anniversary of Dr. Benedict's death, this memorial lecture be held in his honor.