Episode 273: Victoria Johnson, David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Early Republic

by Liz CovartMay 5, 2020

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How did Americans learn to establish philanthropic institutions?

Victoria Johnson, an Associate Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at Hunter College in New York City and author of American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic, leads us on an investigation of the life of Dr. David Hosack and the many organizations he founded, including the Elgin Botanical Garden.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

Victoria Johnson, an Associate Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at Hunter College in New York City and author of American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic, introduces us to the life of Dr. David Hosack and the many philanthropic organizations he founded.

As Victoria helps us investigate David Hosack’s life, she reveals who David Hosack was and information about his training as a medical doctor; Why Hosack worked to build a botanical garden in New York City, which was the first of its kind in the United States; And, How David Hosack’s personal relationships with the likes of DeWitt Clinton, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr helped him establish philanthropic institutions like the Elgin Botanical Garden.

What You’ll Discover

David Hosack
Victoria’s approach to biography
Hosack’s childhood during the British occupation of New York City
Hosack’s medical training
Early Americans’ preference for European trained doctors
Botany and the medicinal purposes of plants
David Hosack’s study of botany
Hosack’s return to New York City
Philanthropic institutions of early New York City
The first botanical garden in the United States
New York State’s purchase of the first botanical garden
Philanthropy and philanthropic institutions in the early republic
Hosack’s personal life
Hosack’s relationship with DeWitt Clinton
Hosack’s involvement in the Hamilton-Burr Duel
The legacy of David Hosack

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if David Hosack had been aware of germ theory during his lifetime? How do you think this knowledge would have impacted his innovations and experiments with the medicinal uses of plants?