Henry Gannett (August 24, 1846 – November 5, 1914) was an American geographer who is described as the "father of mapmaking in America."[1][2][3][4] He was the chief geographer for the United States Geological Survey essentially from its founding until 1902.[2]
Gannett also was the geographer of the 10th United States Census in 1880, 11th Census in 1890, and the 12th Census in 1900. He was the assistant director of the 1899 Census of the Philippines and Puerto Rico, the 1902 Census of the Philippines, and the 1906 Census in Cuba.
In 1879, Gannet was among those lobbying to centralize the mapping functions into one government agency. Previously individual mapmakers and agencies had to compete for money from Congress for project funds. He suggested calling the new organization "United States Geological and Geographical Survey" although the name United States Geological Survey (USGS) would officially be approved. He also assisted in planning the work of the USGS.[2]
Gannet was appointed to the USGS on October 8, 1879, under director Clarence King.[4][6] He was immediately transferred served as the geographer of the 10th United States Census in 1880.[5][4] He laid out 2,000 enumeration districts with such precision that for the first time, each census enumerator knew in advance the metes and bounds of his particular district. The completion of this work on July 1, 1882, is considered the start of true topographical work in the United States and the birth of the quad.
On July 1, 1882, John Wesley Powell appointed Gannett as the chief geographer in charge of the topographic mapping division of the USGS, a position he held until 1896.[5][4] Around 1884, he persuaded various organizations doing the surveys, including the railroads, to begin using similar datums so the data could interconnect. As the chief geographer, he oversaw work on the topographical atlas of the United States.[5] He also served as a geographer for the 11th Census in 1890 and the 12th Census in 1900.[2][3]
In 1899, he was invited on the Harriman Alaska Expedition. In 1899, he was appointed the assistant director of the Census of the Philippines and Puerto Rico, the Philippines again in 1902, and Cuba in 1906.[2][4][7] In 1909 he was named chairman of a special committee to examine and verify the records of Robert E. Peary in the controversy with Frederick Cook over who was the first to reach the North Pole.
In 1888 Gannett was one of six founding members of the National Geographic Society.[10][2][4] He served as its first secretary, and later as treasurer, then vice–president, and president, in 1909.[7][2] He was also Chair of the Society's Research Committee, organizing expeditions to Alaska, La Soufriere, Mount Pelee, Peru, and the Polar Seas.[3]
Gannett was a co-founder and president of the Twenty Year Club or Twenty Year Topographers which was formed at the United States Geological Survey Topographic Division in the winter of 1910–1911.[4] Eligibility was serving twenty years or more as a topographer with the U.S.G.S.[4]
The USGS National Geospatial Program presents the Henry Gannett Award for outstanding efforts in advancing and promoting mapping and geospatial sciences in the United States.[8]
Personaledit
Gannett married Mary E. Chase of Waterville, Maine on November 24, 1874.[3] They had a son, Farley Gannett who was an engineer for the Water Supply Commission of Pennsylvania.[2][9] Their daughters were May Gannett (Mrs. G. T. Backus) and Alice Gannett; the latter was a noted social reformer and settlement house worker.[9][14]
Gannett was one of the ten founding members and president of the Cosmos Club.[4]
Gannett died at his home in 1840 Biltmore Street, Washington, D.C. on November 5, 1914, after being ill for about a year with Bright's Disease.[1][2][9][14] His funeral service was given by Rev. U. G. B. Pierce of All Soul's Unitarian Church.[14] The day of his funeral, the National Geographic Society closed its offices and draped the building in mourning.[2]
^ ab"Henry Gannett's Funeral Takes Place Tomorrow". Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). November 7, 1914. p. 8. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abcdefghijklm"Henry Gannett is Dead". Harrisburg Daily Independent (Harrisburg, PA). November 6, 1814. p. 4. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqDarton, N.H. (January 1917). "Memoir of Henry Gannett". Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 7: 68–70. doi:10.1080/00045601709357056. hdl:2027/inu.30000053670869. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
^ abcdefghijklmnEvans, Richard Tranter; Frye, Helen M. (2009). "History of the Topographic Branch (Division)" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey Circular. 1341. ISBN 978-1-4113-2612-5.
^ abcdefghijJohnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard (1904). "Henry Gannett". The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans ... Biographical Society. p. 70.
^Penry, Jerry (October 27, 2007). "The Father of Government Mapmaking: Henry Gannett". The American Surveyor. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
^ abcColby, Frank Moore; Williams, Talcott (1917). "Henry Gannett". The New International Encyclopædia. Dodd, Mead.
^ ab"The Henry Gannett Award". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ abcde"Great Geographer of Country is Dead pt 2". Harrisburg Telegraph (Harrisburg, PA). November 16, 1914. p. 16. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ab"Census.gov › History › Agency History › Notable Alumni › Henry Gannett". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
^North, S.D.N. (1915). Henry Gannett, President of the National Geographic Society, 1910-1914. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. hdl:2027/mdp.39015039793479.
^List of members, officers, and committees, corrected to March 16, 1914. Washington, D.C.): Washington Academy of Sciences. 1916. p. 5. hdl:2027/wu.89100016302.
^"Funeral for Henry Gannett". The Washington Times. November 8, 1914. p. 8. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abcde"Funeral on Sunday for Henry Gannett". The Washington Times. November 6, 1914. p. 6. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Gannett Peak". Britannica. February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^"Mount Gannett". Alaska Guide. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
External linksedit
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