David Fairchild Brought More Than 200,000 Plants to America

Mangoes, avocados, soybeans, pistachios, dates and the flowering cherries of Washington, D.C., all passed through David Fairchild’s office on their way to American farms and streets. As head of the USDA’s Office of Seed and Plant Introduction, he is credited with bringing in more than 200,000 plants and varieties.

The Family

Fairchild was born in Lansing, Michigan, in 1869. In 1905 he married Marian Bell, the younger daughter of Alexander Graham Bell. He settled in Coconut Grove, where his house and garden, the Kampong, filled with plants he had collected around the world.

What to See

The Kampong still stands in Coconut Grove and belongs to the National Tropical Botanical Garden. In Coral Gables, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, championed by Robert Montgomery and named for Fairchild, opened in 1938. Fairchild died in Coconut Grove on August 6, 1954.