George Harrison Shull

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George Harrison Shull (April 15, 1874 - September 28, 1954) was an eminent American plant geneticist. He was born in Clark Co., Ohio, graduated from Antioch College in 1901 and from the University of Chicago (Ph.D.) in 1904, served as botanical expert to the United States Bureau of Plant Industry in 1903-04, and thenceforth was a botanical investigator of the Carnegie Institution at the Station for Experimental Evolution, Cold Springs Harbor, N. Y., giving special attention to the results of Luther Burbank's work.[1]Shull played an important role in the development of hybrid corn which had great impact upon global agriculture. He described heterosis in maize in 1908 and made a number of other key discoveries in emerging field of genetics. Shull was the founder of the scientific journal Genetics.

He was called George in distinction from his son Harrison Shull (1923-2003), also a distinguished scientist, specializing in the quantum mechanics of small-molecule electronic spectra.[2]

[edit] References

Smocovitis, V.B. Shull, George Harrison. American National Biography Online. 2000
Nina Federoff and Nancy Marie Brown. Mendel in the Kitchen. Joseph Henry Press, Washington, D.C. 2004, pages 57-62.