Joseph Nisbet LeConte

Joseph Nisbet LeConte (1870-1950) was a noted explorer of the Sierra Nevada. He often went by J. N. LeConte in photographs and articles. He went by "Little Joe" among friends, because he was of short stature and the son of Joseph LeConte.

Joseph Nisbet was born to Joseph LeConte and Caroline (Nisbet) LeConte. Joseph N. loved mountaineering from the time he was a teenager and went all over the Sierra Nevada exploring, sometimes for several weeks. He produced the first map of the central Sierra Nevada for the Sierra Club, based on his exploration. At that time, USGS maps were not available.

He was an avid photographer and took many photos of the Sierra Nevada, including the High Sierra and Hetch Hetchy Valley before it was flooded by the dam.

He was a Professor of Engineering at University of California, Berkeley.

He was active in the Sierra Club, and one of its charter members. After John Muir died, he served as the Sierra Club's second president (1915-1917). He served on its Board of Directors from 1898 through 1940, and at various times was VP, secretary, treasurer, and outings chair.

He married Helen Gompertz, whom he met in the Sierra Club.

LeConte Point at Hetch Hetchy Valley is named after him.

References and external links

* Joseph N. LeConte, "A Yosemite Camping Trip 1889" (Bancroft Library, 1990). Diary and Kodak snapshots of a family camping trip.
* Holway R. Jones, "John Muir and the Sierra Club: The Battle for Yosemite" (Sierra Club, 1965). Has portrait of Joseph N. LeConte and about 16 large photographic plates taken by him of Hetch Hetchy Valley.
* [http://www.sierraclub.org/history/key_figures/littlejoe.asp Sierra Club sketch]
* [http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/frameindex.html?http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/people/leconte_jn.html John Muir Exhibit (Sierra Club) sketch]
* [http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/uchistory/pubs_resources/journals/chronicle/issue3/Lage.pdf The Peaks and The Professors by Ann Lage]