Thomas Huston Macbride: Iowa Time Machine July 31, 1848

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On July 31, 1848, Thomas Huston Macbride was born. A notable naturalist and botanist, Macbride served as the 10th president of the University of Iowa. Macbride, founder of Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in Okoboji, helped shape Iowans’ views on the natural world and public education.

Born in Tennessee, Macbride moved to New London at the age of 9 when his abolitionist minister father was alienated from his congregation. After a brief stint at Lenox College in Hopkinton, Iowa, Macbride graduated from Monmouth College in Illinois. Shortly thereafter, in 1878, Macbride arrived at the State University of Iowa.

Working closely with his good friend Samuel Calvin, Macbride made significant contributions to the knowledge of Iowa’s natural history. His 1899 book, “North American Slime Molds,” became a standard text in many college classrooms. In addition to research and later administrative duties, Macbride helped develop the university's extension program and lectured in many Iowa towns, promoting the university as a public service to benefit the state's citizens.

In 1914, following the resignation of university president John G. Bowman, the university named Macbride acting president; however, the ‘acting’ title was soon dropped. He retired from university service in 1916. Following his death in 1934, the Hall of Natural Science at the University of Iowa, as well as Lake Macbride State Park near Coralville, were named in his honor. #Iowa #OTD #History #Naturalist #Conservation