Title: Knowles A. Ryerson Papers

Dates: 1914-1979

Collection Number: D-011

Creator/Collector: Ryerson, Knowles Augustus, 1892-1990.

Extent: 72.4 linear feet

Repository: UC Davis. Special Collections

Abstract: Correspondence and minutes from various commissions, including the National Arboretum and the South Pacific Commission; subject files related to subtropical horticulture and international agriculture; correspondence to academic colleagues and friends.

Language of Material: English

Collection is open for research.

Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections, University of California, Library, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

[Identification of item]. Knowles A. Ryerson Papers. Collection Number: D-011. UC Davis. Special Collections

Knowles Augustus Ryerson was born on October 17, 1892 in Seattle, Washington to William Ryerson and Jessie Knowles. He spent his childhood in Pasadena where he cultivated an interest in horticulture. During vacations he worked for D.W. Coolidge’s Rare Plants Garden and West India Gardens in nearby Altadena. While working for West India, he took an interest in avocados and other subtropical fruits. At 11 years old, Ryerson unexpectedly became an orphan following the death of his mother (it’s unclear when his father passed away). A guardian and later a teacher took care of him through high school and his first year of college at the University of California, Berkeley. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Horticulture in 1916. During World War I, he served twenty-two months in France. In 1921, he married Emma Freeman. Ryerson completed a Master of Science in Horticulture, also at Berkeley, in 1923. Ryerson enjoyed a long career as an educator, administrator, and horticulturist. He worked with the University of California for more than 40 years, beginning in 1919 with the UC Agricultural Extension Service. Ryerson spent two years in Haiti as a horticulturist before spending a year with the Joint Palestine Survey Commission working to improve production on collective farms in Palestine. In 1928, he returned to the United States and accepted an assignment with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Introduction Service. He then assumed the role of Chief of the USDA Bureau of Plant Industry in 1933. After only holding the position for a year, he moved on to the Office of Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture in Riverside. In 1937, he returned to the University of California as professor and director of the Davis campus, a position he held until 1952. He also served as Dean of the College of Agriculture at Berkeley from 1952-1960. Ryerson’s history of federal service and ongoing interest in international affairs led to additional opportunities during and following World War II, including conducting an agricultural survey of the islands of the South Pacific in 1942. As professor and director of the Davis campus from 1937-1952, he oversaw the growth and construction of the fledgling campus, including the creation of the School of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Letters and Science. As Dean of the College of Agriculture at Berkeley, he developed the International Friendship Committee for foreign students and their families as well as English-language classes. He also developed and taught a course in international agriculture and spearheaded the relocation of the departments of Home Economics and Food Technology to Davis. Ryerson’s federal service included numerous positions with the USDA, with the Plant Introduction Service overseeing the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. In this role, Ryerson traveled to foreign countries creating seed and plant collections that turned out to be extremely valuable. In 1942, he helped conduct a federal survey of the islands of the South Pacific to determine their capacity to produce food for the military and native civilians. In order to carry out the recommendations included in the survey, he served as special representative to the Board of Economic Warfare for the Pacific Ocean Area. Due to the program’s success, President Harry Truman awarded Ryerson a Certificate of Merit. In 1946, he served as a member of the Hopkins Commission which guided the creation of a civilian government for Guam and Samoa. Ryerson retired from the University of California in 1960. He received a Doctor of Laws Degree in 1961 and served as a consultant with the United Nations. Following the death of his wife Emma in 1969, he married Edith Mae Poponoe. Ryerson died on January 1, 1990 in Berkeley.

Correspondence and minutes from various commissions, including the National Arboretum and the South Pacific Commission; subject files related to subtropical horticulture and international agriculture; correspondence to academic colleagues and friends.