David Smith (botanist)

{{Short description|British botanist (1930–2018)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Sir David Smith | native_name =  | native_name_lang =  | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRS|FRSE|FLS|size=100}} | image = David_Cecil_Smith.jpg | image_size = 200px | image_upright = | alt = | caption = | order = | office = [[Edinburgh University Principals|Principal of Edinburgh University]] | term_start = 1987 | term_end = 1994 | successor = | prior_term = | order2 = | office2 = President of Wolfson College, Oxford | term_start2 = 1994 | term_end2 = 2000 | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | module = {{Infobox scientist | embed = yes | birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|5|21|df=yes}} | birth_name = David Cecil Smith | birth_place = [[Port Talbot]], [[South Wales]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|6|29|1930|5|21|df=yes}} | death_place = [[Morningside, Edinburgh]] | citizenship = | ethnicity = | field = [[Botany]] | workplaces = [[University of California, Berkeley]] [[University of Oxford]] [[University of Bristol]] [[University of Edinburgh]] | patrons = | education = [[Colston's School]] [[St Paul's School, London]] | alma_mater = [[University of Oxford]] | thesis_title =  | thesis_url =  | thesis_year =  | doctoral_advisor =  | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = [[Angela Gallop]]<ref name=gallop>{{cite thesis|degree=DPhil|publisher=University of Oxford|url=https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/f/89vilt/oxfaleph019882726|title=Chloroplast Symbiosis|first=Angela|last=Gallop|date=1975|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.456157}}|website=ox.ac.uk|oclc=500447666}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | notable_students = | known_for = Discovery that organisms in symbiotic relationship, had similar biological processes. | influences = | influenced = | awards = [[Linnean Medal|Linnean Gold Medal]] | author_abbrev_bot = | author_abbrev_zoo = | spouse = [[Daphne Osborne]] (divorced); Lesley Mutch | partner =  | children = Bryony, Adam and Cameron | signature =  | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = }} }} ''' Sir David Cecil Smith''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRS|FRSE|FLS}} (born 21 May 1930 [[Port Talbot]], [[South Wales]] – 29 June 2018<ref name="edin">{{Cite web|title=Praise for Sir David Smith, former Principal|url=https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2018/praise-for-sir-david-smith-former-principal|date=4 July 2018|accessdate=4 July 2018}}</ref>) was a British botanist.<ref name=smithwhoswho>{{Who's Who | author=Anon| title=Smith, Sir David (Cecil) | id = U35299 | year = 2007 | doi =10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U35299 | edition = online [[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxford}}</ref> Smith was most notable for his research into the biology of [[symbiosis]] and became a leading authority on it.<ref name="times">{{cite news |title=Obituary Sir David Smith |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/sir-david-smith-qt8hpb5g8 |access-date=11 November 2018 |agency=The Times |publisher=Times Newspapers |date=12 July 2018}}</ref> Smith discovered that [[lichen]]s and [[Radiata]] (coelenterates) shared a similar biological mechanism in [[carbohydrate metabolism]]. Further research by Smith demonstrated similar processes in organisms that worked within a symbiotic relationship.<ref name="royal"/>

==Early life and education== Smith was the youngest of two sons. His parents were William Smith, a mining engineer, and Elva (née Deeble) who was a teacher.<ref name="times"/> Smith's brother Frank was killed in Canada. His father initially worked as a coal mining engineer in South Wales, before securing a position as the manager of a [[Manganese]] mine in [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai desert]] following the UK[[1926 United Kingdom general strike|General Strike]].<ref name="times"/><ref name="scot">{{cite news |last1=Jack |first1=Davidson |title=Obituary: Sir David Smith, botanist and former Principal of Edinburgh University |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-sir-david-smith-botanist-and-former-principal-of-edinburgh-university-1-4771714 |accessdate=11 November 2018 |agency=The Scotsman |publisher=Johnston Publishing |date=23 July 2018}}</ref> The family remained in the Sinai desert until the end of [[World War II]], except for occasional periods of leave. In one such period, Smith was born, and lived in the Sinai desert until he was five, when he returned to the UK to live with his grandparents and aunt, Iris, in [[Port Talbot]] where he attended primary school.<ref name="scot"/>

When Smith was ten he was sent to [[boarding school]] at [[Colston's School]], [[Bristol]]. After his parents returned to the UK to live in [[Hatch End]], London, when he was 15 <ref name="times"/> Smith was moved to [[St Paul's School, London]] to continue his education.<ref name="jisc">{{cite web |title=Papers of Sir David Smith, Principal of Edinburgh University 1987-1994 (b. 1930) |url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/c3d4ea2a-d071-3aef-8ec3-c7218fdb353b |website=Jisc |publisher=Edinburgh University Library Special Collections |accessdate=11 November 2018 |location=E2006.05}}</ref> It was while St Paul's School, that his interest in the subject of biology started, while on field trips.<ref name="scot"/> He applied to study medicine at University of Oxford. However, he discovered that he could have financial support from a Browne scholarship to study [[botany]] at [[The Queen's College, Oxford]], so he changed programme.<ref name="royal" /> He was awarded a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in Botany, achieving a [[British undergraduate degree classification#First-class honours|First-class honours]] in 1951.<ref name="jisc"/> Smith immediately followed this with postgraduate research on lichens and was awarded [[Doctor of Philosophy|D.Phil]] in 1954.<ref name="scot"/>

==Career and research== Smith completed his Doctor of Philosophy in two years, as his [[National service]] was impending. He spent his time in Germany, and joined the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]] to research [[Nuclear warfare]].<ref name="scot"/> Upon returning from national service, he was appointed to a research fellowship at [[The Queen's College, Oxford]] before visiting the United States under a [[Harkness Fellowship]] to conduct research at the [[University of California, Berkeley]].<ref name="wolf">{{cite web |title=Sir David Smith |url=https://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/news/sir-david-smith |website=Wolfson College |accessdate=11 November 2018 |location=University of Oxford |format=Obituary |date=29 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="edin"/>

Smith returned to the United Kingdom to a post as a [[lecturer|university lecturer]] in the Department of Agricultural Science at [[University of Oxford]]. Smith was then appointed as a Royal Society Senior [[research fellow]] at [[Wadham College, Oxford]], from 1964 to 1971. From 1971 to 1974 Smith followed up that position at the same college as Tutorial Fellow (a senior Oxford academic rank), followed by Admissions Tutor at the same college.<ref name="wolf"/> His former doctoral students include [[Angela Gallop]].<ref name=gallop/>

In 1965, he joined the editorial board of the plant science journal ''[[New Phytologist]]''. Shortly afterwards he became Executive Editor (Editor-in-Chief) for 17 years, and continuing as an Editor and serving as a Trustee until the late 1990s.<ref name="NewPhyt" />

From 1974 to 1980 Smith held the Melville Wills Chair of Botany at the [[University of Bristol]].<ref name="NewPhyt">{{cite web |last1=Lennon |first1=Sarah |title=Prof. Sir David Smith (1930–2018) |url=https://www.newphytologist.org/blog/prof-sir-david-smith-1930-2018/ |website=New Phyt Blog |date=8 October 2018 |publisher=New Phytologist Trust }}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> Smith returned to a position at Oxford in 1980 as the Sibthorpian Professor of Rural Economy,<ref name="wolf"/> named in honour of [[John Sibthorp]]. He also acted as director of the Department of Agricultural Science.<ref name="wolf"/>

Between 1987 and 1994, Smith was Principal of the [[University of Edinburgh]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Praise for Sir David Smith, former Principal |url=https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2018/praise-for-sir-david-smith-former-principal |accessdate=11 November 2018 |agency=University of Edinburgh |publisher=The University of Edinburgh 2018 |date=5 July 2018}}</ref> From 1994 to September 2000 he was President of [[Wolfson College, Oxford]]<ref>[http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=149388&sectioncode=26 Sir Gareth to take over at Wolfson College], ''[[Times Higher Education Supplement]]'', 17 December 1999.</ref> He became an Honorary Fellow of [[Wadham College, Oxford]] in 2002.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

He was a distinguished supporter of [[Humanists UK]].<ref>[http://www.humanism.org.uk/about/people/distinguished-supporters Humanism.org website]</ref>

He was a member of the Advisory Council for the [[Campaign for Science and Engineering]].<ref name="CaSE Advisory Council">{{cite web |url=http://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/about/who/advisory.htm |title=Advisory Council of the Campaign for Science and Engineering |accessdate=11 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828110110/http://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/about/who/advisory.htm |archivedate=28 August 2010}}</ref>

===Honors and awards=== Smith also received an honorary doctorate from [[Heriot-Watt University]] in 1993<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates.htm|title=Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates|last=|website=www1.hw.ac.uk|access-date=2016-04-05|archive-date=18 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418163907/http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was elected as a [[fellow of the Royal Society]] in 1975 and was biological secretary from 1983 to 1987.<ref name="royal">{{cite web |title=David Smith |url=https://royalsociety.org/people/david-smith-12300/ |website=The Royal Society. |accessdate=11 November 2018 |location=Biography |date=1975}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Douglas|first=Angela E.|date=2019|title=Sir David Cecil Smith. 21 May 1930 – 29 June 2018|journal=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society|volume=67|pages=401–419|doi=10.1098/rsbm.2019.0011|s2cid=199545212|doi-access=free}}</ref> He was awarded a knighthood in 1986.<ref name="royal" /> Smith was awarded the [[Linnean Medal|Gold Medal for Botany]] by the [[Linnean Society of London|Linnean Society]] and served as president of the society from 2000 to 2003. In 2003 he received the [[Acharius Medal]] from the [[International Association for Lichenology]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Honegger|first=Rosmarie|date=|title=Acharius Medallists: Sir David Smith|url=http://www.lichenology.org/Awards/Acharius_Smith.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311001221/http://www.lichenology.org/Awards/Acharius_Smith.html|archive-date=11 March 2007|access-date=2021-02-03|website=International Association for Lichenology}}</ref>

==Personal life== Smith married twice, firstly in 1959 to the plant physiologist [[Daphne Osborne]], but they divorced in 1962. In 1965, he married Lesley Mutch, a [[Scotland|Scottish]] doctor and [[epidemiologist]] and they had three children together, called Bryony, Adam and Cameron. Upon his retirement, the family returned to Morningside in [[Edinburgh]] in 2000.<ref name="scot"/><ref name="royal" />

== References == {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-aca}} {{succession box | before=[[John Harrison Burnett]] | title=[[Edinburgh University Principals|Principal of Edinburgh University]] | years= 1987–1994 | after=[[Stewart Sutherland, Baron Sutherland of Houndwood]] }} {{succession box | before=[[William James Kennedy]] (acting) | title=President of [[Wolfson College, Oxford]] | years=1994–2000 | after=[[Jon Stallworthy]] (acting) }} {{s-end}}

{{Principals of the University of Edinburgh}} {{Presidents of Wolfson College, Oxford}} {{Recipients of the Acharius Medal}} {{Presidents of the Linnean Society of London}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, David}} [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:2018 deaths]] [[Category:People from Port Talbot]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]] [[Category:Alumni of the Queen's College, Oxford]] [[Category:Welsh scholars and academics]] [[Category:Academics of the University of Bristol]] [[Category:Principals of the University of Edinburgh]] [[Category:Presidents of Wolfson College, Oxford]] [[Category:Fellows of the Queen's College, Oxford]] [[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh]] [[Category:Presidents of the Linnean Society of London]] [[Category:Knights Bachelor]] [[Category:Welsh botanists]] [[Category:British lichenologists]] [[Category:Acharius Medal recipients]] [[Category:British fellows of the Royal Society]]