H. W. Harvey


Hildebrand Wolfe Harvey CBE FRS was an English marine biologist.

Background

Harvey was the elder son of Henry Allington Harvey, a partner in the firm of Foster, Mason and Hervey, of Mitcham, Surrey, paint manufacturers, and his wife, Laetitia, who was a daughter of Peter Kingsley Wolfe and a descendant of General James Wolfe, hero of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

Education

After attending Gresham's School, Holt, from 1902 to 1906, he went on to study at Downing College, Cambridge, to read Natural Sciences.

War service

During World War I Harvey served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He navigated minesweepers and patrol vessels.

Career

In 1921 he joined the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth as a hydrographical assistant. His early work was on the oceanography of the western English Channel.
In 1928 he published a monograph on the chemistry and physics of sea water, and in 1933 a classic paper on the rate of diatom growth. With three colleagues he wrote a seminal paper on plankton and its control.
The National Marine Biological Library at the Marine Biological Association retain some of Harvey's scientific notebooks and records, including data sheets and notes on hydrographic observations.

Publications

Harvey's published work includes:
In 1952 he received the Alexander Agassiz Medal of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In recommending the award, the Murray committee said:
Harvey was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1942. His candidacy read:
Harvey was also awarded
In 1923 he married Elsie Marguerite Sanders, but they later divorced. In 1933 he married secondly Marjorie Joan Sarjeant, and they had one son.