Bailey, Liberty Hyde (1858-1954), an American botanist and horticulturist, was responsible more than any other person for the development of agricultural education in the United States. He served as dean of the College of Agriculture at Cornell University from 1903 to 1913, and built the college into a major institution. Bailey worked to make botanical knowledge available to farmers and gardeners, and to make botanists understand the practical problems of agriculture and horticulture. He also pioneered in plant-breeding experiments. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Bailey chairman of the Country Life Commission, a group that helped bring about a rural parcel post and a system of federal agricultural credit. Bailey’s Cyclopedia of American Horticulture (1900-1902) became a standard reference book.
Bailey was born on March 15, 1858, in South Haven, Michigan. He graduated from Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University). He died on Dec. 25, 1954.
