—
[Eeprinted from Phytopathology, October, 1942, Vol. XXXII, No. 10, pp. 833-844.]
JOSEPH CHARLES ARTHUR
1850-1942
Frank    D.    Kern
In the death of Joseph Charles Arthur at Brook, Indiana, April 30, 1942,
we have lost an eminent botanist, a pioneer plant pathologist, and one of the
foremost students of plant rusts in the world.
Joseph Charles Arthur was born at Lowville, New York, January 11,
1850, the son of Charles and Ann (Allen) Arthur. His earliest paternal
American ancestor was his great-great-grandfather who came from England
about 1745 and settled in Groton, Connecticut. The first American-born
ancestor was Richard Arthur, whose wife, Hannah Bradford, was a great-
grand-daughter of Governor William Bradford, one of the Mayflower pilgrims. One of the sons of this marriage was Joseph Arthur, grandfather
of Joseph Charles Arthur. After the death of her husband Mrs. Richard
Arthur moved from Connecticut to northern New York. This was the
family abode for a considerable time. However, Charles Arthur, father of
Joseph Charles, went westward when his son was about six years old and
settled near Sterling, Illinois, but soon pushed on into Iowa. The family
home was at Charles City, Iowa, for a number of years, and then at Spirit
Lake.    At Charles City they lived for a time in town and later on a farm.
Joseph Charles received his preliminary education in the country schools
of Floyd County and in the high school of Charles City. The boy was
christened Charles Joseph, but, since his father's name was Charles, he was
called Joseph, at home. In school he was registered as C. Joseph Arthur.
When the teacher called the roll the other youngsters often turned about in
their seats to "see" Joseph Arthur. This was so annoying to the sensitive
boy that he changed the order of his name to Joseph Charles and retained
that form ever afterwards.
From Floyd County he went as a student to the newly established Iowa
State College at Ames. Here, in 1872, he was graduated first on the list
(alphabetically) of the first graduating class, with the degree of Bachelor
of Science. In 1877 he earned there the degree of Master of Science. In
1886 he was the recipient of the first degree of Doctor of Science conferred
by Cornell University in the field of plant pathology and mycology. His
honorary degrees include the Doctor of Laws, University of Iowa, 1916;
Doctor of Science from his alma mater in 1920; and Doctor of Science,
Purdue University, 1931. He was a graduate student at Johns Hopkins
and at Harvard in 1879 and at Bonn in 1896.
The ambition to be a botanist appeared very early in the life of Joseph
Charles Arthur. He had it as a boy before he went to college. The development of this ambition and the persistence with which he clung to it make
a most interesting story. How eminently well he succeeded has long been
recognized in scientific circles everywhere.    The early difficulties are worthy
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Purdue
UNIVERSITY