French, Charles Hamilton (jnr)   (1868 - 1950)

Born at the Botanical Reserve, South Melbourne, Vic, on 10 June 1868; died at Deepdene (Melbourne), Vic, on 17 July 1950.

Charles Hamilton French (Jnr) followed in the footsteps of his father, Charles Askew French, (Snr), in both his natural history interests and career.

He was educated at the local State school and later entered the Melbourne offices of a solicitor in Collins Street, Melbourne as a junior clerk.

In 1883 he joined the staff of the National Herbarium (then called the Phytologic Museum of Melbourne) as a junior assistant for 13 years under von Mueller until the latter's death.

In 1896, he was appointed to the Department of Agriculture as the first inspector under the Vegetation Disease Act.

He was later to become assistant Government Entomologist and ultimately, Government Entomologist after Charles snr retired from this position in 1911.

From 1931 until his retirement in 1933, he was promoted to Biologist in the Department of Agriculture and officer-in-charge of the science branch at Burnley Gardens after the retirement of a close friend, Charles C. Brittlebank.

He married Ada Sophie Pit Crook at South Yarra (Melbourne), on 5 September 1891 and they had eight children. Ada died at Canterbury (Melbourne), on 27 April 1949.

Charles jnr spent much of his youth assisting his father on expeditions in the field collecting natural history specimens and Aboriginal artefacts and, after joining the herbarium staff in 1883, continued for 13 years collecting plant specimens and insects for his father from throughout Victoria. Later in retirement he grew orchids and ferns in his glasshouse at Canterbury.

He authored and co-authored numerous articles in the Victorian Naturalist and Journal for the Department Agriculture, Victoria from 1890 to 1942 and exhibited numerous insect specimens at the Field Naturalist Club of Victoria (FNCV) monthly meetings. For some years he also lectured at The University of Melbourne and to horticultural students at Burnley Gardens.

Charles jnr was an active member of the FNCV, which he joined at the very young age of 15, in July 1883, and was elected an honorary member in 1937. He participated in many of the Club's field activities, including a collecting expedition to King Island, Bass Strait (FNCV, 1887). He also collected on the Murray and Loddon Rivers in the company of George A. Shepherd and Thomas A. Britlebank (1896), and in the mallee (1900).

Source: Extracted from book: 'Passions in Ornithology: A century of Australian Egg Collectors' (2020), Mason & Pfitzner, Canberra. [consult for source references]
Portrait Photo: Victorian Naturalist (1950) 67: 146.

Collecting localities for 'French, C.H.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 24 specimens