Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Cuming, Hugh
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1791-1865
History
Hugh Cuming was an English collector who was interested in natural history, particularly in conchology and botany. He has been described as the 'Prince of Collectors'. Born in England, he spent a number of years in Chile, where he became a successful businessman. He used the money he saved to buy a ship that was specifically built for collecting specimens, and travelled extensively on collecting trips amassing many thousands of specimens. After his death, much of his material was bought by the Natural History Museum. A number of species are named after him