Claude Garton was born in 1907 in Aylmer, Ontario, and graduated from London Normal School in 1926. In 1928, he moved to Port Arthur to work as a teacher at the St. James Street, Pine Street, and Current River schools. Current River School promoted Garten to principal. In 1933, Garton began his work as a botanist, collecting plants. During WWII, from 1942-1946, Garton paused his career to serve in the Canadian forces, and by 1951, he began collecting plants again. In 1967, Garton retired as principal at Current River School, now known as Claude E. Garton School, to work as a botanist full-time. Upon his retirement, Garton also collected specimens for the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario.

Garten donated approximately 14,000 specimens to Lakehead University’s Herbarium, which became the Claude E. Garton Herbarium. Garton was appointed the curator at the Herbarium, and was a frequent informal mentor for students. He taught one botany class at Lakehead University. Garton curated for the Herbarium until his retirement in 1990. In 1996, Garton passed away. As well as at Lakehead, Garton’s specimens can be seen at the National Museum of Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), and across North America.

Sources

• Claude E. Garton Herbarium. Herbarium History. https://lkhdherbarium.lakeheadu.ca/herbarium-history/
• Hebden, Joan. 1996. “A Tribute to Claude Eugene Garton, 1907-1996 [Obituary].” The Canadian Field-Naturalist 110 (3): 554--557. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.357516.
• WIkipedia. Claude Eugene Garton. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Eugene_Garton