William John McGee

Infobox Scientist
name = William John McGee
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caption = William John McGee
birth_date = April 17, 1853
birth_place = Dubuque, Iowa
death_date = September 4, 1912
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nationality = American
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field = geology, anthropology, and ethnology
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William John McGee, LL.D. (April 17, 1853 - September 4, 1912) was an American geologist, anthropologist, and ethnologist, born near Dubuque, Iowa. He devoted his early years to reading law and to surveying. In 1877-81, he executed a topographic and geological survey of 17,000 square miles (44,030 km²) in northeastern Iowa. [McGee, W.J. and Call, R.E. 1882. On the löss and associated deposits of Des Moines, Iowa. The American Journal of Science, 3rd Series, Whole no. 124, 24(141):202-223.] [McGee, W.J. 1884. The drainage system and the distribution of loess of Eastern Iowa. Bulletin of the Philosophical Society of Washington 6:93-97.] [McGee, W.J. 1891. The Pleistocene history of northeastern Iowa. In: Powell, J.W. (ed), Eleventh Annual Report of the Director of the United States Geological Survey, Part 1: 1889-1890, pp. 199-577.] He was appointed geologist on the United States Geological Survey in 1881.

McGee was ethnologist in charge of the Bureau of American Ethnology from 1893 to 1903. In 1895, he explored the Isla del Tiburón, Gulf of California, home of the Seri Indians. [McGee, W.J. and Johnson, W.D. 1896. Seriland. The National Geographic Magazine 7(4):125-133.] In 1904 he was chief of the department of anthropology at the St. Louis Exhibition. His other prominent positions were: acting president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1897-98); president of the American Anthropological Association (1902-12); and president of the National Geographic Society (1904-05). His publications include:
* "The Pleistocene History of Northeastern Iowa" (1889)
* "The Geology of Chesapeake Bay" (1888)
* "The Siouan Indians" (1895)
* "Primitive Trephining" (1897)
* "The Seri Indians" (1899)
* "Primitive Numbers" (1901)
* "Soil Erosion" (1911)
* "Wells and Subsoil Water" (1913)

References

Persondata
NAME=McGee, William John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=geologist and archaeologist.
DATE OF BIRTH=April 17, 1853
PLACE OF BIRTH=Farley, Iowa
DATE OF DEATH=September 4, 1912
PLACE OF DEATH=Washington, D.C.