Clair A. (Clair Alan) Brown

Born in Port Allegany, Pennsylvania, in 1903, Clair Alan Brown became a leading botanist with a special focus on Louisiana flora. He studied at the New York State College of Forestry, earned a master’s degree in botany from the University of Michigan, and later completed his doctorate there after beginning his long career at Louisiana State University.

Brown taught at LSU for more than four decades, from the 1920s until his retirement in 1970. Over the years he taught subjects including botany, ecology, forest pathology, dendrology, and palynology, and he also took on leadership roles in botanical organizations in the United States and abroad.

He is especially remembered for the books he wrote and co-wrote on ferns, trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, including work that brought the plant life of Louisiana and neighboring states to a wider audience. His contributions were recognized with honors including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and in 1973 he received a Louisiana Literary Award for Wildflowers of Louisiana and Adjoining States.