American mycologist, botanist and plant pathologist (1877-1957).
Ernst Athearn Bessey (February 20, 1877 – July 17, 1957) was an American mycologist, botanist and plant pathologist who served as professor of mycology and botany and dean of the graduate school at Michigan State University. He was the son of another famous botanist, Charles Edwin Bessey. Bessey was born in Ames, Iowa, where his father was professor of botany at Iowa Agricultural College. In 1884 he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska when his father moved to the University of Nebraska. Bessey attended the University of Nebraska, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 1896, a Bachelor of Science in 1897, a