Thomas Coulter

[1] After completing a medical degree in Dublin, Coulter studied botany in Geneva for 17 months under Swiss taxonomist Augustin de Candolle.

He then left Switzerland and became a physician with the Real del Monte Company in Mexico.

He eventually left Mexico and travelled the world exploring many countries and conducting botanical research culminating in Arizona and Alta California in the early 19th century.

He returned to Ireland in 1834 and became the founding curator of the herbarium at Trinity College, Dublin.

Though he was a physician by profession, Coulter achieved success in different fields and is best remembered as an explorer and a pioneer in botany.