William Hunter (Asiatic Society)

William Hunter (1755 in Montrose, Angus – 1812) was an official and minister in India, then secretary to the Asiatic Society in Calcutta, Bengal. He made one of the first Bible translations into Hindi.

He studied at the University of Aberdeen and went to India in 1781. He succeeded John Borthwick Gilchrist as the secretary of the Asiatic Society in 1804 and in 1805 was made the Secretary of the college.^[1]^[2]

William Hunter; "Observations on Nauclea gambin, : the plant producing the drug called gutta gambeer with characters of two other species" communicated by the president ; read June 16, 1807. in: Transactions of the Linnean society Vol. 9 (1808), p. 218-224 (reprinted here)

The standard author abbreviation W.Hunter is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.^[3]

[1]
British Orientalism and the Bengal Renaissance - Page 70 "William Hunter, who succeeded Gilchrist as secretary of the Asiatic Society in 1804"
[2]
The Asiatic Society, 1784-1984: bicentenary souvenir Asiatic Society (Calcutta, India) 1984 "Already in 1805 the Secretary of the Society, William Hunter had been made the Secretary of the College. In 1808 .."
[3]
International Plant Names Index. W.Hunter.