George Edward Davenport

George Edward Davenport (August 3, 1833 – 27 November 1907) was a Massachusetts abolitionist and botanist known for his study of ferns.

Early life Davenport was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of William Davenport Irish and Deborah, née Skidmore. His father was a cabinetmaker for the piano manufacturer Chickering & Sons; at the behest of his wife, William changed his surname to Davenport by legislative act in 1846. George Edward was educated in the public schools and graduated high school there. At school he became interested in plants and later he took a special interest in the ferns and corresponded with Professor Daniel Cady Eaton. He cultivated a number of ferns at his home in Medford.

Public career As a young man, Davenport was known for his anti-slavery writings. In 1865, he went into business making picture frames, which he kept up until 1905. He continued to accumulate a personal collection, which was kept after his death in his family until 1922, and was then donated to the Gray Herbarium by his daughter Mary. It contained about 4,500 specimens, including the type specimens of the taxa Davenport described from Mexico.

In 1926, the new George E. Davenport School in Medford was named in his honor.