Niels Ebbesen Hansen

Niels Ebbesen Hansen was a Danish-American botanist and horticulturist who specialized in plant breeding.

Early life
Hansen was born in Fardrup, a small village in Ribe County, Region Syddanmark, Denmark to the muralist Andreas Hansen and Bodil Midtgaard. His parents brought him to the United States when he was 7 years old. In 1876, the family moved to Des Moines, Iowa. At the age of 17, Hansen entered Iowa State University from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in horticulture in 1887. After his graduation, he worked for a while at a grape nursery. In 1895, after returning to Iowa State, he received his Master of Science.

Botanical career
South Dakota State College (now South Dakota State University), looking for someone to build its Horticultural Department, selected Hansen to finish this job. In 1895, he came to South Dakota and became head of the Horticultural Department.

He searched for new grasses, fruits, and other plants through Europe and Asia. He brought some of these plants back to the United States to raise or crossbreed them with American plant varieties to produce stronger plants. Among these were larger apricots and plums made by crossing native varieties. Hansen created many new fruits, including the Hansen hybrid plums. He is credited as the discoverer and introducer of hardy Cossack alfalfa, crested wheat grass (Agropyron cristatum), and brome grass (Bromus).

He was a member of the International Jury of Horticulture at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904. In 1906, Hansen was a United States delegate of the First International Congress of Genetics in London, England. He served as a secretary of the South Dakota Horticultural Society for many years. In 1949, a monument in recognition of Hansen and his contributions was put up on the campus of South Dakota State University.

A collection of the records, faculty papers, and related materials of or by Niels Ebbesen Hansen are found in the Archives of South Dakota State University.

When citing a botanical name, Niels Ebbesen Hansen is abbreviated as N.E.Hansen.