Henry Gannett was an American geographer often called "the Father of American map-making." This biography of Henry Gannett provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Henry Gannett
@Engineers, Facts and Childhood
Aug 24, 1846
Biography
Personal Details
- Birthday: August 24, 1846
- Died on: November 5, 1914
- Nationality: American
- Famous: Engineers, Mining Engineers, Geographers, Explorers
- Birth Place: Bath, Maine, United States
- Gender: Male
- Sun Sign: Virgo
Henry Gannett born at
Bath, Maine, United States
Unsplash
Birth Place
He married Mary E. Chase on November 24, 1874.
Unsplash
Personal Life
He died on November 5, 1914, at the age of 68.
Unsplash
Personal Life
Henry Gannett was born in Maine on August 24, 1846. His parents, Michael Farley and Hannah Church Gannett, were of rugged Anglo-Saxon stock.
Unsplash
Childhood & Early Life
He studied at the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree (equivalent to the present degree of civil engineer) in 1869. He proceeded to the Hooper Mining School and earned his degree as a mining engineer in 1870.
Unsplash
Childhood & Early Life
After spending a brief period as an assistant in the Harvard Observatory, Henry Gannett accompanied Professor Pickering to Spain in 1871 to observe the total eclipse of the sun in that year.
Unsplash
Career
He was appointed as an astronomer in Captain C. F. Hall's North Polar Expedition of 1871. Simultaneously, he was invited to join the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories under Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden. He chose to go with Hayden.
Unsplash
Career
Appointed topographer for the western division of the Hayden Survey, he occupied himself in mapping the division until 1879. His job was a hazardous one and he faced several difficult situations over the years.
Unsplash
Career
In 1872, while climbing the unnamed highest mountain in the Gallatin Mountains, he and his party experienced electric shocks following a lightning event near the summit. The mountain was thus named Electric Peak.
Unsplash
Career
In 1879, Gannett, along with several others lobbied for centralizing the mapping functions of the nation into one government agency. At that time, individual mapmakers and agencies had to compete for money from Congress for funds for projects. Following this, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) came into existence and the Hayden Survey was merged with the newly created agency.
Unsplash
Career
Henry Gannet is often referred to as the “Father of American map-making" in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the science and art of map-drawing. He was one of the founders of the National Geographic Society, the Geological Society of America, and the Association of American Geographers.
Unsplash
Major Works