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59 An englishman and contemporary of Charles Darwin at Cambridge University , Benjamin Dann Walsh (1808–69) left his life as a scholar of ancient Greek language and literature and emigrated to the United States in 1838, settling in the backwoods prairie in the new state of Illinois. As one of the nation’s earliest professional entomologists, Walsh can be considered an important transitional figure in the history of American science on two fronts: as a pioneer in American entomology, including the application of entomological science to pragmatic ends; and, more important for our purposes, as an early, staunch supporter of Darwin in America who incorporated powerful arguments buttressing evolutionary theory in his many entomological publications. At a time when most entomologists labored in taxonomy without pondering the utilitarian side of their science, Walsh aggressively promoted the practical application of science. Walsh also strongly supported Darwin’s revolutionary theory of species origin, developing a mutually fruitful correspondence with Darwin and making original contributions to his theory. Walsh went on to earn distinction as the first state entomologist of Illinois. Before dedicating himself solely to the study of entomology, Walsh toiled on the frontier as a self-sufficient farmer, a lumber businessman, and a city alderman . During his thirty years in the United States, Walsh witnessed controversial milestones in American history, including the violence of Bleeding Kansas, the Dred Scott decision, and the Civil War. He also experienced technological marvels, including the advancing network of canals and railroads that crisscrossed the everexpanding American nation, transporting goods and people; and the installation of telegraph lines that provided rapid, long-distance communication. In spite of these momentous innovations occurring at this industrious time in U.S. history, Walsh’s decision to settle “out west” in Illinois consigned him to life in an intellectually depauperate region of the nation, devoid of the universities and scientific c a r o l a n e l l i Darwin and the Prairie Origins of American Entomology Benjamin D. Walsh, Pioneer Visionary 60 Carol Anelli libraries accessible to his eastern entomological colleagues. Nothing could have been more different from the life he left in England, but perhaps nothing else could have better prepared him to influence American science than this quintessentially pioneer experience. Walsh’s self-sufficient years as a farmer on the rough and rugged prairie of Illinois appealed to his fiercely independent spirit and sense of egalitarianism. It also brought him unremittingly face-to-face with insects, especially the intricacies of their natural histories and their pivotal roles in natural and agricultural systems. Walsh came to entomology at a critical juncture in U.S. history. As American farming and horticultural practices became increasingly mechanized, the nation began a transformation from subsistence farming to market-based agriculture. Great acreages of monocultures, such as wheat and corn, helped to meet America’s rising demands, particularly during the Civil War, but such practices created a need for utilitarian entomologists to study and identify the insect pests of farm and orchard. As could be predicted by evolutionary theory, monoculture plantings facilitated the outbreaks of insect pests that evolved to feed on those plants. In response to insect ravages that devastated harvests and pocketbooks, state legislatures established appointments for entomologists to develop scientifically based control measures for insects of economic importance. Walsh and other early state entomologists emphasized the practical side of their discipline to a nation that valued utilitarianism. They saw their work as a direct route to advancing agriculture, trade, economics, and living conditions in the new nation. Walsh’s studies of major crop-damaging insects were foundational to the growing field of economic entomology . Moreover, Darwinian evolution contextualized for Walsh the mechanisms underlying pest infestations: he directly connected Darwin’s concepts to his own field observations, and increasingly viewed his entomological research—whether practical or philosophical—through a Darwinian lens. Darwinian evolution provided the necessary theoretical underpinning of Walsh’s entomological work. Walsh repaid the favor in his outspoken support of Darwinian theory in the American scientific scene. In particular his defense of Darwin against several of his American scientific contemporaries, such as the Harvard naturalist Louis Agassiz and the Yale geologist James D. Dana, put Walsh in the same camp as Asa Gray, the great Harvard botanist. Yet unlike Gray, who grappled with the religious implications of Darwinian evolution before adopting a form of theistic evolution, Walsh suffered from no such inhibitions: he embraced and indeed became a...

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