Herbert J. Webber papers
Collection Scope and Contents
This collection contains research notes, publications, photographs, manuscripts, and other material regarding the scientific and professional career of Dr. Herbert J. Webber, a research scientist at the Citrus Experiment Station (CES) in Riverside, California from 1913-1946. In addition to citrus related material, this collection includes his scientific research on guava, avocado, dates, and non-edible crops like rubber. The collection includes a large volume of photographs documenting Dr. Webber’s multi-year citrus experiments in the CES orchards, research notes and handwritten manuscripts from his book The Citrus Industry, and newspaper clippings, correspondence, and photographs regarding the history and care of the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
Dates
- Creation: 1894-1968, undated
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1915-1944
Creator
- Webber, Herbert John, 1865-1946 (Person)
Languages
The collection is in English.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Biographical Note
Herbert J. Webber was born on December 27, 1865 in Lawton, Michigan. His family moved to Nebraska in 1883. Dr. Webber earned both his Bachelors degree and his Masters degree from the University of Nebraska. On September 8,1890 he married fellow University on Nebraska student Lucene Anna Hardin.
Between 1890-1892 Dr. Webber worked as a botany assistant at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri. In 1892, he was offered a position with the US Department of Agriculture as an assistant pathologist and was sent to Florida to study citrus disease. This is where he met Walter T. Swingle, a fellow plant scientist. Dr. Webber and Walter Swingle would collaborate and publish research together many times throughout their scientific careers.
Dr. Webber earned his Ph.D from Washington University in 1901 after discovering motile antherozoids in Zamia plants. In 1907 Cornell University asked Dr. Webber to come to New York and lead the new department of experimental plant biology. He also served as the director of the New York State College of Agriculture between 1909 and 1910.
In 1912 Dr. Webber was appointed director of the new Citrus Experiment Station (CES) in Riverside, California. He was also named dean of the graduate school of subtropical agriculture. Dr. Webber would spend the next 30 years involved in the orchards at CES. Between 1923-1924, Dr. Webber traveled to South America where he studied the South American citrus industry as a special commissioner. He returned to Riverside California in 1926. Even though Dr. Webber retired in 1936 and became professor emeritus he continued his scientific research focusing on citrus, avocado and guava. The first volume of his book The Citrus Industry was published in 1943. Dr. Webber died on January 18, 1946 in Riverside, California.
Chronology
- 1865
- Born in Lawton, Michigan on December 27.
- 1889
- Received a B.S. degree from the University of Nebraska.
- 1889
- Accepted a position as a botany assistant at the University of Nebraska.
- 1890
- Married Lucene Anna Hardin on September 8.
- 1892
- Accepted a position as an Assistant Pathologist at the US Department of Agriculture.
- 1897
- Moved to Washington DC and was promoted to physiologist in charge of plant breeding.
- 1901
- Received his Ph.D from Washington University in St. Louis Missouri.
- 1907
- Moved to New York to become the head professor of plant breeding at Cornell University.
- 1913
- Relocated to Riverside California to become the director of the new Citrus Experiment Station and the dean of the graduate school of subtropical agriculture.
- 1919
- Became the director of the California Agricultural Experiment Station in Berkeley, California.
- 1923
- Traveled to South Africa to study the citrus industry and agriculture.
- 1929
- Retired as the director of the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside, California to focus on his scientific investigations.
- 1936
- Retired at age 70 and became professor emeritus.
- 1943
- Published the first volume of The Citrus Industry with Dr. Batchelor.
- 1946
- Died in Riverside, California on January 18,
Extent
14.44 Linear Feet (28 boxes)
Abstract
This collection contains research notes, publications, photographs, manuscripts, and other material regarding the scientific and professional career of Dr. Herbert J. Webber, a research scientist at the Citrus Experiment Station (CES) in Riverside, California from 1913-1946. In addition to citrus related material, this collection includes his scientific research on guava, avocado, dates, and non-edible crops like rubber. The collection includes a large volume of photographs documenting Dr. Webber’s multi-year citrus experiments in the CES orchards, research notes and handwritten manuscripts from his book The Citrus Industry, and newspaper clippings, correspondence, and photographs regarding the history and care of the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into seven series as follows:
- Series 1. Citrus research and industry, 1894-1951, undated
- Series 2. The Citrus Industry, 1929-1945, undated
- Series 3. Citrus Experiment Station (CES), 1914-1945, undated
- Series 4. Non-citrus horticulture research and industry, 1911-1946, undated
- Series 5. Professional papers, 1903-1938, undated
- Series 6. Personal papers, 1915-1968, undated
- Series 7. Publications, 1888-1946, undated
Acquisition Information
Provenance unknown.
Processing History
Processed by Hollie Johnson, Processing Archivist, 2011.
Processing of the Herbert J. Webber papers was generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The University of California, Riverside was awarded a Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from 2010-2012, "Uncovering California's Environmental Collections," in collaboration with eight additional special collections and archival repositories throughout the state and the California Digital Library (CDL). Grant objectives included processing of over 33 hidden collections related to the state's environment and environmental history. The collections document an array of important sub-topics such as irrigation, mining, forestry, agriculture, industry, land use, activism, and research. Together they form a multifaceted picture of the natural world and the way it was probed, altered, exploited and protected in California over the twentieth century. Finding aids are made available through the Online Archive of California (OAC).
Subject
- Title
- Herbert J. Webber papers
- Status
- Processed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Hollie Johnson, Processing Archivist.
- Date
- 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- Processing of this collection was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program.
Repository Details
Part of the University Archives Repository
University of California
Rivera Library
P.O. Box 5900
Riverside CA 92517-5900 USA
specialcollections@ucr.edu