The botanist who led the Soviet Academy of Sciences through the Stalin years
At a 1939 Academy session, Komarov publicly backed Lysenko's assault on genetics; when the session ended, in a private conversation with Vavilov and Kostov, he subjected Lysenko's views to blistering criticism. Vavilov, disgusted by the duplicity, likened him to Vasily Shuisky.
Vladimir Komarov, botanist and plant geographer, served as President of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1936–1945). His expeditions across the Far East, Manchuria, Kamchatka, and Central Asia built vast collections; his Flora of Manchuria brought international recognition. He oversaw the 30-volume Flora of the USSR, cataloguing over 17,500 species: the landmark of Soviet taxonomy. He systematized the morpho-geographical method and established Academy branches across the Far East, Urals, Caucasus, and Central Asia. Leading the Academy through the Purge and war, he publicly endorsed Lysenko while privately disparaging him to Nikolai Vavilov: a double stance emblematic of scientists under Stalin. He chaired the wartime commission mobilizing Urals, Siberian, and Kazakh resources for defence; his name was given to the Komarov Botanical Institute.
Career Timeline
- 1894Graduated St. Petersburg University with degree in botany
- 1895–1897Expedition to the Far East, Manchuria, and northern Korea
- 1899–1931Researcher, Imperial Botanical Garden (later Botanical Institute)
- 1920Elected full member, Russian Academy of Sciences
- 1930–1936Vice-President, USSR Academy of Sciences
- 1936–1945President, USSR Academy of Sciences
- 1941–1945Chair, Commission for Mobilization of Resources for Defence