Pierre Dangeard

Pierre Jean-Louis Dangeard (18 February 1895 in Poitiers, France – 23 August 1970 in Pléneuf-Val-André, France) was a French botanist. He was the son of botanist and mycologist Pierre Augustin Dangeard and brother of geologist and oceanographer, Louis Dangeard.

Biography

Pierre Dangeard was born on 18 February 1895 in Poitiers, France. Four years earlier his father had relocated from Caen to take up a botany professorship at the Académie des Sciences, the scientific faculty of the University of Poitiers, and a year after his move, had married the 20-year-old Henriette Louise Labrosse. Dangeard was the second of four siblings. His elder brother Henri died in 1899 at the age of six. Pierre thus became the eldest of the children and followed in his father's footsteps to become a botanist.

In 1909 the family moved to Paris after Dangeard's father was offered and accepted a position at the prestigious Académie des Sciences. After receiving a baccalaureate, Dangeard began to study biology at the University of Paris. In 1914 he finished with the license. From 1915 to 1918 Dangeard fought in the First World War and was wounded. In 1922 he was appointed a member of the Legion of Honor. After his military service and his recovery Dangeard continued his nature studies. In 1923 he received a doctorate and published his doctoral thesis in his father's magazine Le Botaniste.

In October 1924 Dangeard was married to Madeleine Colin (1899–1944). They had one daughter, Geneviéve. However, Colin wife died in 1944. Three years later, in March 1947, Dangeard married again, this time to Anne Marie Coville (1908–1998) with whom he had a son, Bernard.

After earning his PhD, Dangeard remained in Paris and in 1928 received an appointment as an assistant at the Faculty of Science, later graduating to a professorship chair of botany in 1932 at the Faculte des Sciences of the University of Bordeaux. Dangeard specialized in marine algae. He took part in various marine expeditions conducted by Jean Charcot and his research vessel Pourquoi pas?. He is thought to have worked closely with his brother, geologist and oceanographer Louis Dangeard, who also took part in marine expeditions.

After his retirement from the chair of the Department of Botany at Bordeaux University, Dangeard lived in Pléneuf-Val-André, Brittany. He died on 23 August 1970 at the age of 75.

Memberships and honors

Dangeard was member of such scientific societies as: 1922 Member of the Légion d'honneur 1929 Prix Montagne 1935 Prix Desmazières Acad. Sci. 1948 Corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences 1964 Member of the French Academy of Sciences

In 2002, botanist Thomas Friedl and Charles J. O'Kelly, circumscribed Dangemannia, which is a genus of green algae in the family Oltmannsiellopsidaceae. Also Neodangemannia (also in the family Oltmannsiellopsidaceae), was published in 2014.

Works and collection

In succession to his father, who died in 1947, Pierre Dangeard was editor of the botanic journal Le Botanist.

Plant collection and types: at Bordeaux