James Ebenezer Bicheno

Infobox_Scientist
name = James Ebenezer Bicheno
birth_date = birth date|1785|1|25
birth_place = Newbury, Berkshire, England
death_date = death date and age|1851|2|25|1785|1|25
death_place = Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land
nationality = British
religion = Protestant
field = Botanist

James Ebenezer Bicheno (January 25 1785 – February 25 1851) was a British author and colonial official.

Bicheno was the son of the Rev. James Bicheno, minister of the Baptist Church in Newbury, Berkshire. He was appointed colonial secretary of Van Diemen's Land in September 1842. He was a keen amateur botanist and experimented with plants on his small farm on the banks of the New Town Rivulet. He had several papers on botany and natural history published in its "Transactions" and assisted Sir William Jardine in preparing the two volumes of "Illustrations of Ornithology" (Edinburgh, 1830). Bicheno experimented with plants on his small farm on the banks of the New Town Rivulet, Van Diemen's Land, lectured on botany to the Mechanics' Institute and had papers published in the "Transactions of the Royal Society of Tasmania".

Bicheno was a large man, and it was said that he could fit three full bags of wheat in his trousers. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Tasmania/Bicheno/2005/02/17/1108500205648.html SMH: Bicheno"] ] [ [http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/TASBicheno.shtml Walkabout: Bicheno"] ]

Commemoration

*Bicheno, a town on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia was named after him.
*Bicheno's Finch was named to commemorate him.

References