William Saunders

William Saunders (December 7, 1822 – September 11, 1900) was a horticulturist, landscape designer and nurseryman. During his long career, Saunders designed the Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg, planned and developed the Washington DC park system, authored hundreds of articles on horticulture and introduced numerous plant species into the United States, significantly impacting the nation's agricultural economy. He was one of the first landscape architects to be employed by the federal government and spent thirty-eight years working for the US Department of Agriculture. He was also one of the founders of the National Grange, or Patrons of Husbandry. Early life William Saunders was born on December 7, 1822, in St. Andrews, Scotland. In 1834 he started at Madras College in St. Andrews where he planned to study for the ministry of the Church of Scotland but became interested in horticulture and landscape gardening. He studied horticulture at the University of Edinburgh and then undertook practical horticultural training at Kew Gardens. He also worked as an apprentice gardener on several large estates in London. Saunders married Martha Mildwaters in 1848 and emigrated to the United States. He became an American citizen in 1857. Saunders first worked as a gardener on the estate of William Bostwick in New Haven, Connecticut. In the 1850s he moved to Baltimore, Maryland and was employed on the estate of Johns Hopkins. Hopkins' 400-acre estate was one of the largest country places in America. In addition to managing the estate farm, Saunders designed landscape features including large lakes and various flower gardens. At this time, Saunders also began to write articles on horticultural topics which were published in the leading horticultural journals including The Horticulturalist, Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture, The Farmer and Gardener, and The Philadelphia Florist. Many of his contributions provided practical advice on the propagation of fruit trees and grape vines.