William Morris Davis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 12, 1850 |
| Died | February 5, 1934 (aged 83) |
| Known for | cycle of erosion; peneplains; often called the "father of American geography" |
| Relatives | Edward M. Davis (father) Maria Mott Davis (mother) |
| Awards | Hayden Memorial Geological Award (1917) Vega Medal (1920) Penrose Medal (1931) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geography, Geomorphology, Geology, Meteorology[1] |
William Morris Davis (February 12, 1850 – February 5, 1934) was an American geographer, geologist, geomorphologist, and meteorologist, often called the "father of American geography".
He was born into a prominent Quaker family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, son of Edward M. Davis and Maria Mott Davis (a daughter of the women's advocate Lucretia Mott). Davis studied geology and geography at Harvard's Lawrence Scientific School and then joined the Harvard sponsored geographic exploration party to the Colorado territory, led by the inaugural Sturgis-Hooper professor of geology, Josiah Dwight Whitney. Wild stories had circulated since soon after the Louisiana Purchase about Rocky Mountains peaks 18,000 feet or higher. The Harvard expedition set out to investigate, and found none, but they did find "14ers" (14,000-plus feet). He graduated from Harvard University in 1869 and received a Master of Mining Engineering in the following year.[2] Davis worked for Nathaniel Shaler as a field assistant, and was later hired to teach at Harvard.[2] Though his legacy lives on in geomorphology, he also advanced theories of scientific racism in his writings about physical geography.[3]
After his first wife died, Davis married Mary M. Wyman from Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1914, and, after her death, he married Lucy L. Tennant from Milton, Massachusetts in 1928, who survived him.
He died in Pasadena, California, shortly before his 84th birthday. His Cambridge home is a National Historic Landmark.
- ^ Pruyne, John; Jon T. Kilpinen (1996-11-02). "William Morris Davis". Valparaiso University Department of Geography and Meteorology. Archived from the original on 2010-08-28. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
Davis' contributions cover the separate fields of geography, geology, and meteorology.
- ^ a b Koch, Philip (7 September 2018). "William Morris Davis: Brief live of a pioneering geomorphologist: 1850-1934". Harvard Magazine. Harvard. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ Frazier, John W. (2019-05-20). Race And Place: Equity Issues In Urban America. Routledge. ISBN 9780429977510.