History of Haven, (Hancock County) Maine United States of America

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John Wesley Powell, geologist, was born in Mount Morris, N.Y., March 24, 1834. His father, a Methodist clergyman, emigrated from England to New York city; removed to Jackson, Ohio, in 1841; to Walworth county, Wis., in 1846, where he continued to preach, leaving the entire care of the farm to his son; to Boone county, Ill., in 1851, and finally to Wheaton, where he was a trustee of the college. John Wesley Powell had few educational advantages beyond attending Wheaton and Illinois colleges irregularly to hear lectures, and in the meantime earned money by teaching and lecturing in geography to prosecute his studies further. He took a special two years' course at Oberlin, and having at an early age developed an inclination toward natural science, made an extensive collection of shells, plants and minerals from various western states, and in 1859 was elected secretary of the Illinois Natural History society. He was married in 1861 to Emma Dean of Detroit, Mich. He enlisted as a private in the 20th Illinois volunteers in 1861; was promoted lieutenant in the 2d Illinois artillery, and at the battle of Shiloh lost his right arm. He declined the colonelcy of a colored regiment; was promoted major and became chief of artillery of the 17th army corps, and later of the Department of Tennessee, serving until the end of the war. He was professor of geology and curator of the museum at the Illinois Wesleyan university, 1865-68; in the summer of 1867 organized a party of students for the purpose of making a geographical study of Colorado, ascending Pike's Peak and Mount Lincoln, and in 1868, under the auspices of General Grant and of several educational institutions, especially the Smithsonian Institution, explored the Colorado ca?ons, reaching the Grand ca?on, Aug. 13, 1869. As a result of his success in this expedition, and through his efforts, congress created in 1870 the topographical and geological survey of the Colorado river, of which Major Powell was placed in charge. In 1879 he was made a member of the public lands commission, and after the consolidation of the different surveys, under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, into one national survey in 1879, he was chosen director of the bureau of ethnology, and succeeded Clarence King as director of the U.S. geological survey in 1881, resigning in May, 1894, on account of ill health. In 1900, accompanied by Prof. W. H. Holmes, anthropologist of the National museum, he conducted an exploring expedition in Cuba to study the remains of the pre-historic inhabitants, and brought back a valuable and interesting collection of human bones and specimens pertaining to the life of the Arawaks and Caribs. He received the degrees A.M. and Ph.D., upon examination, from Illinois Wesleyan university in 1877; the honorary degree of A.M. from Oberlin college, 1882; LL.D. from Columbian, 1882; Harvard, 1886; Illinois college, 1889; Ph.D. from Heidelburg, 1886, and was awarded the famous Cuvier prize by the French Academy in 1891. He was a lecturer on primitive medicine at Columbian university in 1881, and a trustee, 1881-1902. He became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1875, vice-president in 1879, and president in 1887; was president of the Anthropological society of Washington, 1879-88; became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1880, and of the American Philosophical society; a fellow of the American Academy, and organized a social club of scientific men in Washington, D.C. He is the author of: Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and its Tributaries, Explored in 1869-72 (1875); Sketch of the Ancient Province of Tusayan (1875); Geology of the Eastern Portion of the Uinta Mountains and a Region of Country Adjacent Thereto (1876); The Lands of the Arid Region of the United States (1879); Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages (1880); Studies in Sociology; The Ca?ons of the Colorado (1895) and several pamphlets. He died at Haven, Maine, Sept. 23, 1902.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Haven, (Hancock County) Maine

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