Cottam, Walter Pace, 1894-
Dates
- Existence: 1894 - 1988
Biography
Walter Pace Cottam (1894-1988) was a botany professor in Utah. He founded the Red Butte Garden and Arboretum at the University of Utah.
Walter Pace Cottam was born March 2, 1894 in St. George, Utah, to Emmaline Jarvis and Thomas P. Cottam. He married Effie Frei on July 1, 1915. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Brigham Young University and his doctoral degree from the University of Chicago, writing his dissertation on the Ecology of the Flora of Utah Lake. Dr. Cottam taught at Brigham Young University for 12 years, then went to the University of Utah in 1931 and remained there for 31 years, serving as head of the botany department much of the time. While there, he founded the Red Butte Garden and Arboretum at the University of Utah. He retired in 1962. Walter Pace Cottam died December 22, 1988.