Niels Ebbesen Hansen

He searched the harsh environments of northern Scandinavia, Siberia, Manchuria, and the dry steppes of the Volga for plant stock that could flourish on the upper Great Plains.

Hansen left high school at the beginning of his junior year to work as a messenger for Iowa Secretary of State John A.T.

Upon turning 18, he received his inheritance from his late mother's estate and was able to finish college without further interruptions [1] After graduation, he worked for a time in a large grape nursery.

[5] On an 1897 trip to Russia, he encountered the red-fleshed wild apple Malus niedzwetskyana and began two breeding programs based on this unusual fruit, one aimed at developing a cold-hardy cooking and eating apple, and the other aimed at developing ornamental crabapples.

In 1949, a monument in recognition of Dr. Hansen and his contributions was erected on the campus of South Dakota State College.

[7][8][9] A collection of the records, faculty papers, and related materials of Niels Ebbesen Hansen are maintained in the Archives of South Dakota State University.

N.E. Hansen, 1908
A 1908 portrait of Hansen during his third plant exploration to Russia. He wears his field exploration gear and holds a bundle of alfalfa. Photo courtesy South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum.