William Allman

William Allman, M.D. (1776–1846) was Professor of Botany at Trinity College Dublin.

Life He was born at Kingston, Jamaica, on 7 February 1776, but his parents removed to Ireland before he was four years of age, his mother being a native of Waterford. His father, Thomas, was described as a "gentleman". He was educated in Waterford, and Trinity College Dublin, where he was elected a Scholar, and graduated B.A. in 1796, M.A. in 1801, and M.D. in 1804. He practised medicine in Clonmel until 1809 when he was elected Professor of Botany at Trinity College Dublin. Soon after this event he became acquainted with Robert Brown, the botanist, with whom his friendship was lifelong. Allman arranged lectures in 1812 on the natural system, the first botanical professor in the UK and Ireland to use this system. Brown named the Amaranthaceous genus Allmania in Allman's honour in 1832.

He held the chair of botany until 1844 when he was succeeded by George James Allman (they were not related). He died on 8 December 1846. They had two sons, George, a mathematician, classical scholar, and historian of ancient Greek mathematics, and William Allman (1819–95), rector of Kilmacrenan, County Donegal.