Harry Vaughn Harlan (February 19, 1882 – November 6, 1944) was an American botanist, agronomist, and plant breeder who worked on barley at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
He is notable for his international seed-collecting expeditions in search of barley cultivars for use the USDA's crop breeding programs.
[3] He then performed two years of graduate study at Kansas State College before being hired by Mark Carleton at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
[2] Nearing the end of World War I, The USDA sent Harlan to Europe in order to collect diverse barley to assist with breeding programs intended to bolster depleted food supplies in the post-war period.
[4] He collected barley in (modern day) England, France, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain.