John Caspar Wister was described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as the “Dean of American horticulturalists.”  He studied at the Harvard School of Landscape Architecture. Although he practiced landscape architecture for many years,  his work in horticulture is the most renowned. Positions he held include: Director of the Arthur Hoyt Horticultural Foundation, Swarthmore College; Director of the John J. Tyler Arboretum; President of the John Bartram Association. He was the author of many books and article on horticulture, lectured widely, and was honored by groups including the New York Botanical Garden, The Horticultural Societies of New York, Great Britain and Pennsylvania, and the Garden Club of America.  His plan for Stenton was among his first design projects.