Person

Evans, John William (1906 - 1990)

Born
16 January 1906
India
Died
1990
Occupation
Entomologist

Summary

John Evans joined the Division of Economic Entomology, CSIR in 1928 as a junior entomologist. After a number of positions in Australia and England he became Director of the Australian Museum, Sydney 1955-1966. He had a particular interest in Leafhoppers.

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Details

Born India, 16 January 1906. Educated Cambridge University (Jesus College) (Geology, Botany and Zoology 1923-26, ScD 1949); DSc, University of Tasmania. Came to Australia 1926 to work on sharks, but when the company that was to employ him went broke, he found a job in the head office of the new CSIR; observed Prickly Pear as its destruction by Cactoblastus moths began; Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand 1927 (under Directorship of R. J. Tillyard (qv), whose second daughter, Faith, he married in 1934); travelled with Tillyard to US and Europe 1928, ahead of Tillyard's appointment to direct the new division of CSIR Entomology; stayed in UK at Imperial Bureau of Entomology, Farnham Royal, working on Trichogramma, a wasp that attacks the eggs of the Codling moth; travelled to Australia 1929 via India, parents and the Bombay Natural Historical Society; arrived Canberra September 1929 to work at the new CSIR building (now CSIRO Entomology); began research on Thrips Melbourne 1930; continued work on thrips in Adelaide 1931 with James Davidson and H. G. Andrewartha (qqv) of Waite Institute; Hobart Entomologist (later Chief Biologist), Tasmanian Department of Agriculture 1935-44; Imperial Institute of Entomology, London 1945-48; Senior Principal Scientific Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, London 1948-54; Director, Australian Museum, Sydney 1955-66.

Related Corporate Bodies

Archival resources

National Library of Australia Oral History Collection

  • John William Evans - Records, 1930 - 1965, DeB 94; National Library of Australia Oral History Collection. Details

Published resources

Books

  • Evans, J. W., The Life and Work of Robin John Tillyard, 1881-1937 (St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1963), 32 pp. Details
  • Musgrave, A., Bibliography of Australian entomology, 1775-1930: with biographical notes on authors and collectors (Sydney: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1932), 380 pp. Details

Book Sections

Resources

See also

McCarthy, G.J.

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 2 March 2018

EOAS ID: biogs/P001888b.htm

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