Gustave Thuret

In 1808 his father, a merchant and banker, married in London Henrietta van der Paadevoort (Padevoirt), the daughter of a navy officer, born in Demerara (now Guyana), but brought up or educated in England.

As a young man Gustave studied Law, while being an amateur musician, and it was from a musical friend, de Villers, that he received, in 1837, his first initiation into botany.

[1] Thuret spent a great part of his time, up to 1857, on the Atlantic coast of France, carrying out an intense observation of marine Algae in their natural habitat at all seasons.

Thuret's style in expounding his results was hailed as singularly clear and concise; a man of thorough education, he was also noted for expressing his ideas with literary skill.

[1] In 1857 Thuret moved his research to Antibes (on the Mediterranean coast), where, on a once barren promontory, he established a botanical garden which became famous throughout the scientific world.