Herbert Raleigh Angell (1893–1992)
A notable CSIRO scientist and early Canberra resident, Dr Herbert Angell, died on March 18, aged 99.
As head of the CSIRO's plant pathology section, Dr Angell's most outstanding success was the discovery of how to effectively control blue mould of tobacco, a disease which threatened the viability of the tobacco industry.
He showed that the disease was seed- and air-borne and could be controlled by treating tobacco seedlings with benzol vapour, and was awarded an OBE in recognition of this work.
Dr Angell, born in Manchester, Jamaica, was appointed senior plant pathologist in the Division of Economic Botany in the CSIR, the precursor of the CSIRO, in 1928 after studying plant pathology in Canada and the United States.
He moved to Canberra when the CSIR Black Mountain laboratory was built, and worked there until his retirement in 1958.
As head of plant pathology he made substantial contributions to the knowledge about diseases affecting pineapples, tobacco, wheat, flax, onions, opium poppy, peas and stone fruit.
Dr Angell moved to Mornington, Victoria, recently from Farrer, and is survived by his wife and three children.
Original publication
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- Trove search
- is appointed OBE, Sydney Morning Herald, 2 January 1939, p 7
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Angell, Herbert Raleigh
- Frankel, Elaine Margaret (colleague)
Citation details
'Angell, Herbert Raleigh (1893–1992)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/angell-herbert-raleigh-28254/text37229, accessed 14 March 2025.
Life Summary [details]
Birth
21 August,
1893
Manchester,
Jamaica
Death
18 March,
1992
(aged 98)
Mornington,
Victoria,
Australia
Cultural Heritage
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.
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