Niels Ebbesen Hansen

Niels Ebbesen Hansen (January 4, 1866 - October 5, 1950) was a Danish-American horticulturist and botanist who was a pioneer in Plant breeding.

Background

Niels Ebbesen Hansen was born in the village of Fardrup, in Ribe County, Denmark. He was the son of Danish-born muralist Andreas Hansen and Bodil Midtgaard. His parents brought him to the United States at the age of seven. In 1876, the family moved to Des Moines, Iowa. At the age of seventeen he entered Iowa State College from which he graduated with a B.S. in horticulture in 1887. After graduation, he worked for a time in a large grape nursery. He was induced to return to Iowa State. He was awarded his Master of Science degree in 1895.^[1]

Career

South Dakota State College (now South Dakota State University), then looking for someone to build its Horticultural Department, selected Hansen for the job. In 1895, Hansen came to South Dakota and became head of the Horticultural Department of South Dakota State College.^[2][3]

Hansen searched for new grasses, fruits and other plants throughout Europe and Asia. He brought these plants back to America to raise or crossbreed with American varieties to produce a stronger plant. He was the originator of many new fruits, among them the Hansen hybrid plums. He is credited with the discovery and introduction of hardy Cossack alfalfa, crested wheat grass and brome grass. He developed larger apricots and plums by crossing native varieties with those he brought from Asia.^[4]

Hansen was a member of the International Jury of Horticulture at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904 and a United States delegate to the First International Congress of Genetics in London, England in 1906. He served as secretary of the South Dakota Horticultural Society for many years. In 1949, a monument in recognition of Dr. Hansen and his contributions was erected on the campus of South Dakota State College.^[5][6][7]

A collection of the records, faculty papers, and related materials of Niels Ebbesen Hansen are maintained in the Archives of South Dakota State University.^[8]

Selected works

• Notes on the breeding of fruits (1893)
• Fruit stocks where the mercury freezes (1931)
• The wild alfalfas and clovers of Siberia, with a perspective view of the alfalfas of the world (1909)
• Some Sterile And Fertile Plant Hybrids (1926)
• Fruits, old and new and northern plant novelties (1937)

References

1. ^ Niels Ebbesen Hansen Papers (South Dakota State Agricultural Heritage Museum) [1]
2. ^ Niels Ebbesen Hansen—Pioneer Fruit Breeder (by A.F. Yeager. Journal of the American Pomological Society Volume 13 Number 2 Article 1 Year 1958) [2]
3. ^ Niels Ebbesen Hansen 1866-1950 (South Dakota History. Volume 17 Number 1) [3]
4. ^ The Life and Work of Niels Ebbesen Hansen ( from To Plant the Prairies and the Plains 1941. by Mrs. H. J. Taylor) [4]
5. ^ Kephart, Kevin; Lance Nixon. The Remarkable Dr. Niels Hansen. South Dakota State University. 
6. ^ "Niels Ebbesen Hansen". Northscaping. http://www.northscaping.com/InfoZone/IS-0061/IS-0061.shtml. Retrieved 2009-09-02. 
7. ^ Pudoc (December 1986). Horticultural Research International: Directory of Horticultural Research Institutes and Their Activities in 63 Countries. Center Agricultural Pub & Document. ISBN 9789066053328. 
8. ^ Faculty Papers, N.E. Hansen papers (South Dakota State University Archives. University Collections) [5]

Other sources

• Rumbaugh, M. D N.E. Hansen's contributions to alfalfa breeding in North America (Bulletin / Agricultural Experiment Station, South Dakota State University. 1979)
• Loen, Helen Hansen, The banebryder (the trail breaker): The Travel Records of Niels Ebbesen Hansen, 1897-1934 (Kalamazoo, Mich.: H. Loen. 2002)
• Loen, Helen Hansen, With a Brush and Muslin Bag: the Life of Niels Ebbesen Hansen (Kalamazoo, Mich.: H. Loen. 2003)
• Loen, Helen Hansen, The Journals of Niels Ebbesen Hansen, 1879-1892 (Kalamazoo, Mich.: H. Loen. 2004)

Persondata
Name	Hansen, Niels Ebbesen
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 4, 1866
Place of birth
Date of death	October 5, 1950
Place of death