Forster was long overshadowed by his son Georg. Taking over from his colleague Priestley, he was the first in England to teach natural history. Banks and Solander got to know him as a naturalist on his move to London, and when Cook refused Banks’s demands, Forster (with son) replaced him on Cook’s second voyage. He was a disciple and correspondent of Linnaeus, who regarded him highly and named a plant after him, and corresponded with Young. His gift for tactlessness (Cook and the Admiralty fell out with him, Solander had his reservations) contributed to his marginalisation and eventual return to Germany.