Charles Frederick Andrus

Charles Frederick Andrus (21 January 1906 — 14 July 2007) was an American botanist and horticulturist. He worked at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Vegetable Breeding Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, and is known for producing a disease-resistant and wilt-resistant watermelon.

Andrus was born on January 21, 1906, in Mount Carmel, Illinois, to Clara Matilda Seiler (1867–1931) and Charles Samuel Andrus (1867–1959).

He graduated from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., in 1931 with distinction and special honors in botany.

In 1938, Andrus began working at the USDA Vegetable Breeding Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina. He developed the Homestead and Southland tomatoes and the full green snapbean.

In 1954, after years of research, he developed the Charleston Gray Watermelon, which was marketed worldwide for its taste as well as its ability to resist disease and wilt. Its oblong shape and hard rind made it easy to stack and ship. Its adaptability meant it could be grown over a wide geographical area. It produced high yields and was resistant to the most serious watermelon diseases: anthracnose and fusarium wilt.

• In 1955, Andrus received the U. S. Department of Agriculture Superior Service Award and was made a fellow in the American Society of Horticultural Science.
• In 1956, he received the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association's Annual Research Award.
• In 1960, he was elected to membership in the Clemson University Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta in recognition of his scholarship and services to agricultural science
• In 2002, he was elected into the American Society of Horticultural Sciences Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Toronto, Canada.
• He was also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Agricultural Society of South Carolina.

Andrus was a member of Bethel United Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

He was married to his wife Margaret Grow Andrus (1903–1977). They had two sons, Jan Frederick Andrus and Charles Andrew Andrus.

Andrus died on July 14, 2007, in Charleston, South Carolina, at the age of 101. He is buried at Live Oak Memorial Gardens in Charleston, South Carolina.