Record

Code	DS/UK/70
Name	Anderson; Alexander (1748?-8 Sep 1811)
Surname	Anderson
Forenames	Alexander
History	Anderson, who is believed to have been born in Scotland, studied at Edinburgh university though he did not graduate from there he did gain a medical degree from a Scottish university. During his career he worked under William Forsyth at the Chelsea Physic Garden, with whom he also corresponded. In December 1774 he and his brother joined the British troops fighting in the War of Independence. Anderson served with the army as surgeon at New York and Philadelphia. He was later imprisoned by the French when a ship on which he was travelling was captured. He worked on St Vincent as a hospital orderly under the charge of Dr George Young, who was also the first director of the St Vincent Botanic Garden. Young and Anderson made many botanical trips to Dominica, Grenada, Barbados and around St Vincent in 1783-4; Anderson also travelled in Trinidad in 1786 and Guiana in 1791. Anderson was appointed to run the Botanical Garden on St Vincent in 1785 and he held the position until his retirement in 1811. During his time as director the gardens received breadfruit from Captain Bligh of the 'Providence' in 1793. He was made a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1808 and a Fellow of the Royal Society Edinburgh in 1791. He died on St Vincent.
Rules	International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997
Source	Information taken from Ray Desmond's DICTIONARY OF BRITISH AND IRISH BOTANISTS AND HORTICULTURISTS (NHM, London 1977) and DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY at http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/465?docPos=2

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