Botanist Mangelsdorf Dies at 90

Fisher Professor of Natural History Emeritus Paul C. Mangelsdorf, a prominent botanist and the former head of Harvard's Botanical Museum, died in his sleep on July 22. He was 90 years old.

Mangelsdorf was known internationally for his research on the origins and breeding of corn. The inexpensive seed corn he developed is used widely now in the American Southwest and Latin America.

"His work was very important in practical terms and in theoretical terms," said Bussey Professor of Biology Otto T. Solbrig, who worked with Mangelsdorf and who briefly held a chair endowed in the botanist's name.

Mangelsdorf joined the Harvard faculty in 1940 as a professor of economic botany, a post he held for 22 years before his appointment to the Fisher chair. From 1945 to 1967, he directed Harvard's Botanical Museum.

Mangelsdorf retired from Harvard in 1968, but continued his botany research, working on crosspollination experiments with corn and holding a retirement professorship at the University of North Carolina.

In 1941, Mangelsdorf and two of his colleagues received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to study the food needs in Mexico.

During this time "he developed methods for breeding corn that had been used until about 10 years ago," according to Solbrig. The research was the basis of a recommendation that helped Mexico triple its corn production and boost fivefold its wheat output.

In addition to numerous articles published throughout his career, Mangelsdorf wrote Corn: Its Origin, Evolution, and Improvement, which observers hailed as a landmark work on one of the world's most important grains.

Mangelsdorf graduated from Kansas State University in 1921 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He continued his studies at Harvard, earning a masters degree in 1923 and his doctorate in 1925. In 1977, the botanist was presented with an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Harvard.

"By his teaching and leadership, he has notably advanced botanical studies; by his painstaking research, he has found new seed to feed the world's hunger," read the citation that accompanied his honorary degree.

Mangelsdorf has also received honorary degrees from seven other educational institutions in North and South America.

He is survived by three married sisters, a brother and two sons. He also leaves seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at the Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on August 5 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Mangelsdorf requested that contributions be made to the Mangelsdorf Plantings Program at Carol Woods.