John Caspar Wister
Encyclopedia
John Caspar Wister was considered the preeminent horticulturist
in the United States
in the 1900s.
section of Philadelphia. John was the youngest of five children, being the brother of Mary Channing Wister, who would go on to marry her cousin Owen Wister
, the author of The Virginian
. His family tree also includes well-known individuals such as Sarah Logan Wister Starr
, William Logan Fisher, and James Logan
.
and Wister Estates owned by his family.
and went on to continue his studies at Harvard’s School of Landscape Architecture
, and supplemented that program with courses taken at the New Jersey Agricultural College. His education took him to landscape architecture offices in both New York
and Philadelphia until he enlisted on July 10, 1917, as a private in World War I
.
in various ordnance departments, being promoted to Sergeant of Ordnance in November 1917. Wister never strayed too far from plants and flowers, taking advantage of his leave time by visiting the gardens of Europe
. He would often send plants back to his friends, the Arthur Hoyt Scotts, noted garden enthusiasts whom he met in 1915. After being honorably discharged from the Army
on May 10, 1919, John Caspar Wister began a horticultural legacy which would span the next 70 years as a landscape architect in both the United States and in England
.
produced hundreds of new hybrid species of common plants and flowers. In addition to the scientific research he performed on plants, he devoted a great deal of his time to sharing his knowledge of plants and the beauty he found in them with those around him. One of his many contributions to local Philadelphia horticulture was the campus of Swarthmore College
, where he worked for more than 50 years. In order to recognize the work of Wister’s good friends, the Arthur Hoyt Scotts, Swarthmore established the Arthur Hoyt Scott Horticultural Foundation and named Wister the foundation’s first director in 1930. The Foundation’s 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) public garden, with its 5,000 species of trees and shrubs adorns the Swarthmore campus, 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of which were landscaped by Wister himself. He grouped plant families together within the garden to establish a more practical plan. Swarthmore College awarded Wister an honorary doctor of science degree in 1942 for his work with the college. Wister also operated a landscape architecture business out of the now-demolished Wister Mansion just off of La Salle University’s
campus in Philadelphia.
In 1946, Wister became the first director of the 600 acres (2.4 km²) John J. Tyler Arboretum
in Lima
, PA, serving as president of both the arboretum and bird sanctuary until 1968. In addition to this organization, he was active in most major scientific and conservation groups and was a member of about 50 horticultural societies and 30 scientific organizations. He served as secretary of the American Rose Society, president and founder of the American Iris Society, and secretary for 24 years of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. He was also intimately connected with the John Bartram Association in Philadelphia.
Medal, the Scott Garden and Horticultural Award, the A.P. Saunders Memorial Award from the American Peony Society, and the Honor and Achievement Award from the International Lilac Society. He was honored for his outstanding work with flowers at the centennial celebration of the founding of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
awarded Wister its Garden Medal for outstanding service in 1966, and in that same year, the Royal Horticultural Society
dedicated its Daffodil and Tulip Yearbook to him, making Wister the first American gardener to receive this honor.
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1900s.
Family
A member of the prominent Philadelphian family, the Wisters, John was born to William Rotch Wister and Mary Rebecca Eustis in the GermantownGermantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
section of Philadelphia. John was the youngest of five children, being the brother of Mary Channing Wister, who would go on to marry her cousin Owen Wister
Owen Wister
Owen Wister was an American writer and "father" of western fiction.-Early life:Owen Wister was born on July 14, 1860, in Germantown, a well-known neighborhood in the northwestern part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Owen Jones Wister, was a wealthy physician, one of a long line of...
, the author of The Virginian
The Virginian (novel)
This page is about the novel, for other uses see The Virginian .The Virginian is a pioneering 1902 novel set in the Wild West by the American author Owen Wister...
. His family tree also includes well-known individuals such as Sarah Logan Wister Starr
Sarah Logan Wister Starr
Sarah Logan Wister Starr was a prominent member of Philadelphia society in the early 1900s and a dedicated humanitarian.-Family:...
, William Logan Fisher, and James Logan
James Logan
-People:* James Logan , colonial American statesman* James Richardson Logan , British lawyer and amateur ethnologist* James Harvey Logan , American horticulturist...
.
Early life
Even at an early age, John Caspar Wister was interested in horticulture; as a small boy growing up in Germantown, Philadelphia, John would follow the gardener around the property trying to learn anything and everything he could about plants, and would spend his time admiring and contemplating the flowers, trees, fruits, vegetables, and greenhouses at the BelfieldBelfield Estate
Belfield Estate was a area of land in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, much of which is now a part of La Salle University’s campus. The estate is most notable for being the estate of American painter and naturalist Charles Willson Peale from 1810 to 1826....
and Wister Estates owned by his family.
School
In 1909, Wister graduated from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and went on to continue his studies at Harvard’s School of Landscape Architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
, and supplemented that program with courses taken at the New Jersey Agricultural College. His education took him to landscape architecture offices in both New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Philadelphia until he enlisted on July 10, 1917, as a private in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
World War I
According to letters he wrote to his family during the war, Wister served most of his time in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in various ordnance departments, being promoted to Sergeant of Ordnance in November 1917. Wister never strayed too far from plants and flowers, taking advantage of his leave time by visiting the gardens of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He would often send plants back to his friends, the Arthur Hoyt Scotts, noted garden enthusiasts whom he met in 1915. After being honorably discharged from the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
on May 10, 1919, John Caspar Wister began a horticultural legacy which would span the next 70 years as a landscape architect in both the United States and in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Horticultural Work
John Caspar Wister’s research in cross-breedingCrossbreed
A crossbreed or crossbred usually refers to an animal with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. Crossbreeding refers to the process of breeding such an animal, often with the intention to create offspring that share the traits of both parent lineages, or producing...
produced hundreds of new hybrid species of common plants and flowers. In addition to the scientific research he performed on plants, he devoted a great deal of his time to sharing his knowledge of plants and the beauty he found in them with those around him. One of his many contributions to local Philadelphia horticulture was the campus of Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, where he worked for more than 50 years. In order to recognize the work of Wister’s good friends, the Arthur Hoyt Scotts, Swarthmore established the Arthur Hoyt Scott Horticultural Foundation and named Wister the foundation’s first director in 1930. The Foundation’s 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) public garden, with its 5,000 species of trees and shrubs adorns the Swarthmore campus, 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of which were landscaped by Wister himself. He grouped plant families together within the garden to establish a more practical plan. Swarthmore College awarded Wister an honorary doctor of science degree in 1942 for his work with the college. Wister also operated a landscape architecture business out of the now-demolished Wister Mansion just off of La Salle University’s
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...
campus in Philadelphia.
In 1946, Wister became the first director of the 600 acres (2.4 km²) John J. Tyler Arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
in Lima
Lima, Pennsylvania
Lima is a census-designated place in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,225 at the 2000 census. It is pronounced "LYE-ma."-Geography:Lima is located at ....
, PA, serving as president of both the arboretum and bird sanctuary until 1968. In addition to this organization, he was active in most major scientific and conservation groups and was a member of about 50 horticultural societies and 30 scientific organizations. He served as secretary of the American Rose Society, president and founder of the American Iris Society, and secretary for 24 years of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. He was also intimately connected with the John Bartram Association in Philadelphia.
Recognition
Throughout his lifetime, Wister was the first recipient of four major horticulture awards: the Liberty Hyde BaileyLiberty Hyde Bailey
Liberty Hyde Bailey was an American horticulturist, botanist and cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.-Biography:...
Medal, the Scott Garden and Horticultural Award, the A.P. Saunders Memorial Award from the American Peony Society, and the Honor and Achievement Award from the International Lilac Society. He was honored for his outstanding work with flowers at the centennial celebration of the founding of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a botanical garden in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, and Park Slope neighborhoods, the garden includes a number of specialty "gardens within the Garden," plant collections, and the Steinhardt Conservatory,...
awarded Wister its Garden Medal for outstanding service in 1966, and in that same year, the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
dedicated its Daffodil and Tulip Yearbook to him, making Wister the first American gardener to receive this honor.
Marriage
Being constantly absorbed in flowers and plants, Wister did not marry until the ripe old age of 73, when he took as his wife Gertrude Smith, a woman who was herself a noted horticulturist at the time. Wister referred to marriage as "the fatal plunge" in one of his war-time letters, a description which could also explain why he waited so long before marrying.Death
John Caspar Wister, considered America’s “Dean of Horticulturists”, died on December 27, 1982, at his home in Swarthmore. At the time of his death, Wister was director emeritus of both the Arthur Hoyt Scott Horticultural Foundation and the John J. Tyler Arboretum.Sources
- Belman, Laura Haines. "Remarks at La Salle University, October 1, 1994." Unpublished manuscript presented at the dedication of the Mary and Frances Wister Fine Arts Studio at La Salle University. Available in the Connelly Library’s Ethel Langhorne Wister Chichester Special Collection, Folder 137.
- Faust, Joan Lee. "John C. Wister, 95, Horticulturist." The New York Times, December 28, 1982. New York Times obituary article. Available in the Connelly Library’s Ethel Langhorne Wister Chichester Special Collection, Folder 157.
- Haines, Ella Wister. Reminiscences of a Victorian Child. Philadelphia: E.W. Haines, 1953.
- Van Atta, Burr. "John Caspar Wister, known as the dean of horticulture in U.S." The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 29, 1982. Inquirer obituary article. Available in the Connelly Library’s Ethel Langhorne Wister Chichester Special Collection, Folder 157.
- Votaw, Galja Barish. "John C. Wister." Chester Times, July 16, 1951. "Personality Sketch" from the Chester Times. Newspaper clipping found on front inside cover of A Horticulturist in the A.E.F: Letters from France from John C. Wister to Members of his Family, 1917-1919.