Alexander Macleay
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Hon Alexander Macleay MLC FLS FRS (June 24, 1767 - July 18, 1848) was a leading member of the Linnean Society. He was also a fellow of the Royal Society. His chief natural history interest was entomology and he had the finest and most extensive collection then existing of any private individual in England. This included the British Collection of John Curtis now housed in Melbourne, Australia. James Francis Stephens referred to Alexander Macleay as "my friend" and talks about his philosophical views on insect structure and arrangement. This is a euphemistic reference to Macleay’s curious quinary system, a classication schema based on the number 5.
His extensive entomological collections formed the basis of the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney.
He was also very active beyond his scientific pursuits and was the foundation president of the Australian Club.
He was the father of the entomologist William Sharp MacLeay.
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