Saunders lived June 16, 1836 – September 13, 1914. He was born in England, but immigrated to Canada, settling in London, Ontario. He had many interests, but as a pharmacist he became interested in botanical things, and it is because of his interest in plants that he has been listed here. In 1886, he was appointed as the founding director of the Dominion Experimental Farms system, and set about gathering trees, shrubs, and other botanical things from all over the world for the Central Experimental Farm near Ottawa, Ontario. He retired from his Experimental Farms position in 1911.