Eaton, Amos (1776–1842)

US botanist. After giving up law to study botany, he published his major work, Manual of Botany for the Northern States (1817). He became professor of natural history at the Medical School in Castleton, Vermont (1824–42).

He was born in Chatham, New York, graduated from Williams College and was admitted to the bar, before going to study botany at Yale. He gave public lectures in New England and New York. His voluminous writings were later found to be more enthusiastic than accurate.