John Fleming (Gatton and Saltash MP)

Dr John Fleming FRS FRSE FLS (1747–17 May 1829) was a British surgeon of the Indian Medical Service, naturalist, and politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gatton 1818–1820, Saltash 1820–1826.

He is of great note as an amateur botanist and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, Royal Society of Edinburgh and Linnean Society. His obituary was written by fellow botanist James Britten FLS.

Life

In 1768 he is recorded as joining the Indian Medical Service based in Bengal as an Assistant Surgeon. He was raised to full Surgeon in 1771 and rapidly rose thereafter. On 8 December 1800 he was made President of the Indian Medical Board. He retired in 1811 and returned to Britain in 1813. During his time in India he befriended both Francis Buchanan-Hamilton and Thomas Hardwicke. He also conducted a long corresponsence with Sir Joseph Banks including sending him plant samples such as Thibet (Tibet) Musk.

In 1813 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and in 1817 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers for the latter were Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet, Tb Allan and David Brewster.

On his return he lived on Chandos Street off Grosvenor Square in London and later (1816) in Gloucester Place.

He died in London on 17 May 1829.

In 1882 the Department of Botany (of the University of London) bought 13 folio volumes of drawings of Indian plants, mainly from the Punjab area, organised by Fleming (but drawn largely by Indian natives).

Publications

• A Catalogue of Indian Medicinal Plants (Calcutta, 1810)

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Fleming

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by William Congreve Sir Mark Wood, Bt	Member of Parliament for Gatton 1818 – 1820 With: Abel Rous Dottin	Succeeded by Jesse Watts-Russell Thomas Divett
Preceded by Michael George Prendergast Matthew Russell	Member of Parliament for Saltash 1820 – 1826 With: Matthew Russell to 1822 William Russell 1822–26	Succeeded by Henry Monteith Andrew Spottiswoode