Nuttall, Thomas (1786–1859)

English-born US naturalist who explored the Arkansas, Red, and Columbia rivers and wrote books ranging from ornithology to botany.

Nuttall was born in Settle, Yorkshire, but in 1808 emigrated to Philadelphia. He was a botanist and ornithologist, but he also had an interest in geology. Between 1809 and 1811 he participated in an expedition up the Missouri River. In 1818–20, he explored the Arkansas and Red rivers, and the mouth of the Columbia River 1834–35. In 1820, he studied the geology of the Mississippi Valley. He was made curator of the botanical gardens in Harvard 1822, a position which he held for ten years.

He published Genera of North American Plants 1818 and A Manual of Ornithology 1832. He returned to England where he died.