Swedish botanist, also known as Carol von Linne, was the first to organize the principles for defining genera and species of organisms as well as to create a uniform system for naming them. An author known for his clean and succinct style, his best-known works are “Genera Plantarum,” 1737 and “Species Plantarum,” 1753. Linnaeus is considered by many to be “the father” of Botany. He served as a professor, not only of medicine, but of botany and natural science.
As a child, he developed a love of flowers through the influence of his father, a clergyman and enthusiastic amateur botanist. A Christian, Linnaeus saw God’s work in every plant, and when he was eight years old, he was nicknamed “the little botanist.” His parents wanted him to study theology, but he was encouraged by his teachers to study medicine instead, and in 1727, he enrolled at Lund University. He received his degree from the University of Uppsala where he was an assistant to Professor Rudbeck and supervisor of the botanical gardens.
In 1730, he began a series of botanical lectures, and two years later he was sent to Lapland by the Uppsala Academy of Sciences. The results of his explorations in that region were published in 1737 as the “Flora Lapponica” and firmly established his reputation as a naturalist.
From 1732 to 1738, Linnaeus traveled widely, spending time in Holland, England and France, before settling in Stockholm where he established a successful medical practice. He was instrumental in founding the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences in 1739. In 1741, after turning down an appointment as the chair of medicine, he was appointed Head of Botany at the University of Uppsala, a position he held until his death. With his engaging personality, he was a popular teacher who easily and enthusiastically communicated his findings to his students. As a result, Uppsala soon became the center of the botanical world.
Linnaeus was a prolific letter writer and regularly corresponded with the heads of various countries, writing about his everyday life in a fresh, simple style filled with details about everyday life and the beauty of nature. In 1755, he turned down an invitation from the King of Spain to settle in that country. The King and Queen of Sweden were his patrons, and in 1761, he was granted a Swedish patent of nobility, antedated to 1757, and became known as Carl von Linné.
In 1739, he married Sara Moraea, the daughter of a physician. They had four daughters and one son, Carl von Linné, Jr. (1741-1783) who succeeded him.
In 1774, he suffered an apoplectic attack, leaving him in ill health. He suffered two severe strokes in January 1778 and died. The Linnean Society of London preserved his herbarium, collections of insects and shells along with his manuscripts.
von Linne died in 1778.
Link to Wikipedia biography