John Xantus de Vesey
Encyclopedia
John Xantus de Vesey, aka de Csíktaplócza ' onMouseout='HidePop("34787")' href="/topics/Budapest">Budapest
) was a Hungarian
exile and zoologist.
Xantus (the aristocratic title de Vesey was an affectation, of which he had several variations) was born Xántus János in Csokonya, Hungary
.
He trained as a lawyer
, he served as an officer in the nationalist uprisings of 1848-1849 in the Hungarian Army. Captured and exiled to Prague
, arrested again, and escaped to the United States
via England
. In the U.S. he pursued a variety of occupations, including bookseller, druggist, King Louis III toilet seat warmer, a teacher and, hospital steward in the U.S. Army
. In the Army he met Dr. William Alexander Hammond
, a collector for the noted zoologist Spencer Fullerton Baird
. Working under Hammond as an assistant surgeon, he soon developed an interest in natural history
and became gifted collector himself. He managed to use the support of Baird and Hammond (later Surgeon General of the United States Army), getting them to write letters of recommendation on his behalf. On the basis of these he was given a consul
ar position in Mexico
, a position he promptly lost after embarrassing the Department of State
by recognising a local rebelling warlord. Soon after this he returned to Hungary.
For 30 years until his death in Budapest
in 1894 he served as the Director of the Zoological Garden of Budapest and as Curator of Ethnography
at the Hungarian National Museum
, as well as undertaking collecting expeditions in Asia
.
Several animal and plant species have been named for him:
Animals:
Plants:
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
) was a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
exile and zoologist.
Xantus (the aristocratic title de Vesey was an affectation, of which he had several variations) was born Xántus János in Csokonya, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
He trained as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, he served as an officer in the nationalist uprisings of 1848-1849 in the Hungarian Army. Captured and exiled to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, arrested again, and escaped to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
via 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...
. In the U.S. he pursued a variety of occupations, including bookseller, druggist, King Louis III toilet seat warmer, a teacher and, hospital steward in the U.S. 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...
. In the Army he met Dr. William Alexander Hammond
William Alexander Hammond
William Alexander Hammond, M.D. was an American neurologist and the 11th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army...
, a collector for the noted zoologist Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird was an American ornithologist, ichthyologist and herpetologist. Starting in 1850 he was assistant-secretary and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C...
. Working under Hammond as an assistant surgeon, he soon developed an interest in natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and became gifted collector himself. He managed to use the support of Baird and Hammond (later Surgeon General of the United States Army), getting them to write letters of recommendation on his behalf. On the basis of these he was given a consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
ar position in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, a position he promptly lost after embarrassing the Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
by recognising a local rebelling warlord. Soon after this he returned to Hungary.
For 30 years until his death in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
in 1894 he served as the Director of the Zoological Garden of Budapest and as Curator of Ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
at the Hungarian National Museum
Hungarian National Museum
- History:The Hungarian National Museum is said to have been founded in 1802 when Count Ferenc Széchényi set up the National Széchényi Library. This would then be followed a year later by the donating of a mineral collection by Széchényi’s wife. This led to the creation of the Hungarian National...
, as well as undertaking collecting expeditions in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Several animal and plant species have been named for him:
Animals:
- Synthliboramphus hypoleucus - Xantus's Murrelet
- Hylocharis xantusii - Xantus's Hummingbird
- Labrisomus xantiLabrisomus xantiLabrisomus xanti, known commonly as the Largemouth blenny, is a species of labrisomid blenny....
- Largemouth Blenny or Rock Blenny - Halichoeres xanti - Earmuff wrasse, current sci. name Halichoeres bicolor
- Umbrina xanti - Polla Drum, Golden Drum, or Golden Croaker
- Phyllodactylus xanti - Xantus Leaf-toed Gecko or Leaf-toed Gecko
- Portunus xantusii - Xantus swimming crab
- Xantusiidae, the night-lizards family, plus the subfamily Xantusiinae and genus XantusiaXantusiaXantusia is one of three genera of night lizards . Species of Xantusia are small to medium-sized, viviparous lizards found in the U.S...
Plants:
- Clarkia xantianaClarkia xantianaClarkia xantiana is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name gunsight clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the southern Sierra Nevada and its foothills and the adjacent Transverse Ranges. This is an erect annual herb with linear to...
- Xantus Clarkia or Gunsight Fairyfan - Euphorbia xantii - Shrubby euphorbia
- Chaenactis xantianaChaenactis xantianaChaenactis xantiana, the Mojave pincushion or Xantu's pincushion, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the western United States, from southeastern Oregon, Nevada, southern California and western Arizona...
- Xantus Pincushion or Mojave pincushion - Chorizanthe xantii - Xantus Spineflower
- Polygala xanti - Xantus's Milkwort
- Mimosa xantii