Memorable Manitobans: Arthur Henry Reginald Buller (1874-1944)

Reginald Buller Click to enlarge

Botanist, mycologist.

Born at Birmingham, England in August 1874, he was educated at Queen’s College, Taunton, and at several German universities. After a brief stay at the University of Birmingham, Buller was one of the first six professors hired by the University of Manitoba, in 1904, the others being Frank Allen (Physics), Gordon Bell (Bacteriology), Robert Rutherford Cochrane (Mathematics), Matthew Archibald Parker (Chemistry), and Swale Vincent (Physiology and Zoology). Buller specialized in mycology, the study of fungus. Buller and his colleagues founded the Scientific Club of Winnipeg, in 1905.

He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1909, becoming its President in 1927. He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Manitoba in 1924. In 1929 he was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s Flavelle Medal, and in 1937 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. He received the Natural History Society of Manitoba Bronze Medal in 1936. His major work was Researches in Fungi, 7 vols. (1909-34). He wrote Essays on Wheat (1919) and Practical Botany (1929). Buller also wrote limericks, some of which were published in Punch.

He died at Winnipeg on 3 July 1944. He is commemorated by the Buller Building at the Fort Garry Campus of the University of Manitoba. In 2013, his cremains were enclosed inside a monument standing in front of the building.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Science Building / Buller Building (45 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Reginald Buller Monument (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg)

Reginald Buller: The Poet Scientist of Mushroom City by Gordon Goldsborough
Manitoba History, Number 47, Spring/Summer 2004

MHS Resources: The Poetry of A. H. R. Buller

“Arthur Buller: Pioneer Leader in Plant Pathology,” by R. H. Estey Annual Review of Phytopathology 24(1986): 17-25.

Sources:

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 26 December 2019

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!