George Vasey (botanist)

George Vasey (February 28, 1822 – March 4, 1893) was an English-born American physician, botanist, and agrostologist. He practiced medicine in Illinois for nearly two decades before being appointed Chief Botanist at the United States Department of Agriculture in 1872, a position he held for the remainder of his life. In 1889 the Smithsonian Institution named him Honorary Curator of the United States National Herbarium, the crowning achievement of his career.

The alias George S. Vasey is often used to avoid confusion with his son George Richard Vasey. However, the father never used a middle initial in the 19th century. On letters and publications, he signed his name as George Vasey, Geo. Vasey, or Dr. Geo. Vasey. Most of his herbarium specimens are labeled with the name G. Vasey or one of the previous names. The source of the middle initial is unknown.