John Hope

John was born in Edinburgh in 1725. He studied at both the University of Edinburgh and Glasgow University, as well as in Paris where he studied botany at the Jardin du Roi.

John was a working doctor for most of his life, with a private practice in Edinburgh, but he is best known for his contribution to botany. He did significant work on plant classification and plant physiology, becoming one of the first British adopters of Carl Linnaeus's system of naming and classifying organisms.

During this time, John established a botanical garden in Edinburgh, to the north of Leith Walk. The garden  was used for the demonstration of materia medica and lay the groundwork for the later establishment of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

In 1761, he was appointed as professor of botany and materia medica, king's botanist for Scotland and superintendent of the royal garden in Edinburgh.

In 1768, he was appointed regius professor of medicine and botany and was later elected fellow of the College of Physicians in Edinburgh. He died in 1786.