Rush Nutt

Rush Nutt (1781–1837) was a Mississippian planter, physician, and scientist. He was the founder of Laurel Hill Plantation and discovered Petit Gulf cotton. He is a former justice of the Jefferson County court in Mississippi. Early life Nutt was born as Rushworth Nutt to Richard Turner Nutt and Elizabeth Rawlings in Northumberland County, Virginia. Nutt studied under Dr. Benjamin Rush at the University of Pennsylvania. Nutt changed his name from Rushworth to Rush after Dr. Benjamin Rush. Career Nutt moved to the West in 1805 to Jefferson County, Mississippi and established the Laurel Hill Plantation. He established Oakland College. He built the first brick church in Rodney. He toured Egypt, Jerusalem, Syria, Turkey, and Greece. He was the first American to visit those regions. He wrote about his travels, agriculture and scientific studies. Nutt developed the "Petit Gulf", a hybrid strain, in 1833. He developed the Egypto-Mexican hybrid cotton in 1841. The cotton he developed were easier to pick.