Luther Burbank was a horticulturist and botanist known for his innovations in agricultural science. He created over 800 new varieties of plants, including the Russet Burbank potato, Santa Rosa plum, and Shasta daisy. Burbank’s legacy is celebrated through memorials and continued popularity of his creations. He was also a strong believer in early education and donated to local schools and arts organizations. Burbank died in 1926 and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1986.
Luther Burbank was a noted horticulturist and botanist and is widely regarded as one of the greatest innovators of agricultural science. A Massachusetts native, Burbank spent much of his career in Northern California, working on hybridization and the development of plant life. Though occasionally scorned by the scientific community, Burbank’s legacy is spread both through memorials and through the continued popularity of his creations.
In 1849, Luther Burbank was born the thirteenth of fifteen children into a farming family in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Though he only completed grammar school, Burbank’s true source of learning came from his life on the farm. He bought a small farm of his own in the 1870s, where he would create his first famous hybrid, the Russet Burbank potato. This vegetable would become one of the most popular commercial varieties in the United States, but Luther Burbank sold the production rights to it in 1874. With the profits from the sale, Luther Burbank moved to Santa Rosa, California, a small town in the temperate North Bay area.
Once established in Santa Rosa, Burbank purchased a large tract of land to use as a hybrid testing ground for its products. As he became more successful, he also bought an 18-acre farm in the nearby city of Sebastopol, which was used to further new agricultural and plant-growing techniques. His long career and patient work will lead to more than 800 new varieties of fruits, flowers, vegetables, trees and herbs.
Luther Burbank created dozens of plant species that are well known today. The big, sunny daisy Shasta is one of his best-known creations. Among his most famous fruit creations were the juicy Santa Rosa plum and the Freestone peach. Today the Burbank potato is one of the most widely grown varieties in the world. If you like fries from chain restaurants, you’ve probably eaten hundreds of Burbank potatoes.
As Luther Burbank rose to prominence throughout California, he became an unofficial state ambassador to visiting celebrities and scientists. A famous photo shows him sitting comfortably between Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, who have both visited his farms. Helen Keller, the famous author and inspirational speaker, decided to visit Burbank in 1920. Burbank also counted as a close friend the famous yogi guru, Parmahansa Yoganada.
Outside of her work with plants, Burbank was a strong believer in early education and donated much of her money and time to local schools and arts organizations. Ten schools across the country have been named in his honor, and each year the city of Santa Rosa holds the Luther Burbank Rose Parade in his honor. Both his home and garden in Santa Rosa and Gold Ridge Farm in Sebastopol have been turned into historic sites and are open to the public.
Luther Burbank died in 1926 at the age of 77, due to complications following a heart attack. Partly due to his influence, a 1930 patent law was passed in the United States, allowing inventors to patent plants as a financial motivation for continuing horticultural research. Despite some scientists who disapproved of his experimental methods and lack of clear research notes, Burbank was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1986. Burbank is remembered around the world for his innovation, work ethic, and his constant kindness to people and his community.
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