Archives West Finding Aid

Professor Rexford F. Daubenmire (1909-1995) was born in Coldwater, Ohio on December 12, 1909. He attended Butler University, where he earned his bachelor of science degree in 1930. He earned his master's degree in 1932 from the University of Colorado and his doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota in 1935.

Daubenmire began his teaching career as an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee before becoming an instructor at the University of Idaho for ten years, and later a professor of botany at Washington State University for 29 years. Upon his retirement he was made professor emeritus at WSU.

Daubenmire was widely recognized as a leading authority on plant ecology. His early research in the 1950s introduced the concept of potential vegetation into ecological management. He published several articles and textbooks, and won awards from the Northwest Scientific Association, the Ecological Society of America, and the Society of American Foresters. He died August 26, 1995.