William James Beal (March 11, 1833 – May 12, 1924) was an American botanist. He was a pioneer in the development of hybrid corn and the founder of the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden. Biography Beal was born in Adrian, Michigan, to William and Rachel (Comstock) Beal, His parents were pioneering Quaker settlers/farmers from New York state. Beal grew up in forested land surrounded by native plant and animal life. He married Hannah Proud in 1863. He retired to Amherst, Massachusetts, and died there in 1924. Education He attended the University of Michigan, where he earned an A.B. degree in 1859 and an A.M. degree biology in 1862; he also received an S.B. in botany degree from Harvard University, 1865, an M.S. degree in biology from the University of Chicago, 1875, and a number of honorary degrees. Between 1858 and 1861 he was a teacher of Natural Sciences at Friends Academy at Union Springs, New York. Research at the Michigan Agricultural College After briefly serving as professor of botany at the University of Chicago in 1868-70, Beal went on to Michigan Agricultural College (MAC, now Michigan State University), where he was a professor of botany (1871-1910), and curator of the museum (1882-1903). While at MAC, he arranged for Liberty Hyde Bailey to work as an assistant to Asa Gray at Harvard University for two years during 1883-1884. He also served as director of the state Forestry Commission (1889-1892). He was a key leader of the experimental movement of agricultural botany at the college. His research at the MAC involved using cross-fertilization to increase the yield from 8 rowed Indian corn to 24 rowed hybrid corn. His contributions planted him as “one of the pioneers in the development of hybrid corn” in the late 19th century. Using his techniques, Beal was able to produce crops that bloomed earlier, were hardier, had more vigor, and had “better qualities” than traditionally grown varieties. He began conducting these experiments in 1878. He also conducted the first turfgrass experiments at the college in 1880. Beal first visited the Michigan Agricultural College in 1870. He was to teach a botany class during the summer. At that time, Lansing had a population of 1,541 residents and the addition of a new hall on campus allowed the college to accept 150 students, up from the previous 82 student accommodation. He described the college as “young, poor, and small”.