Henry Paul Hansen

Infobox_Scientist
name = Henry Paul Hansen
birth_date = April 28, 1907
birth_place = La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
death_date = October 8 1989
death_place = Corvallis, Oregon
residence =
nationality =
field = Geology, Botany, Palynology
work_institution = Oregon State University
alma_mater = University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.Sc., M.Sc.), University of Washington (Ph.D.)
doctoral_advisor = G. B. Riggs
doctoral_students = Calvin J. Heusser
known_for = Palynology, Quaternary geology

Henry Paul Hansen (April 28 1907 – October 8 1989) was an American palynologist known largely for his pioneering work on the vegetation history of the North American Pacific Northwest and for his time as the dean of Graduate Studies at Oregon State University from 1949 - 1972.

Early life

Henry Hansen was born on the April 28, 1907 in La Crosse, Wisconsin to parents Andrew and Emma Petersen Hansen.

In 1939 he was married to Helen Rivedal and had five children with her before she passed away in 1972. He later married Ethel Welch in 1979.

Education

His Bachelor of Sciences degree was obtained in 1930 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he continued studying until he was awarded his M.Sc in 1931. From Wisconsin Henry Hansen moved to the University of Washington in 1935 where his thesis focused on the pollen analysis from bogs in the Puget Lowlands of Washington.

cientific career

Henry Hansen began teaching at Oregon State University in 1939 as an instructor. His research continued throughout his time there, including the collection and analysis of over 50 palynological records for the Pacific Northwest. One of his seminal publications was "Postglacial Forest Succession, Climate, and Chronology in the Pacific Northwest", published in 1947. This work was all the more impressive given that chronologies at the time lacked stable age-depth controls later afforded by C¹⁴ dating.

Awards and Recognition

* 1943-1944 - John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship
* 1947-1948 - John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship

References

*Heusser, C.J. 1990. Henry Paul Hansen 1907-1989, "Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club". 117(2), pp. 176-177.

Persondata
NAME = Hansen, Henry Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American palynologist
DATE OF BIRTH = April 28 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH = La Crosse, Wisconsin
DATE OF DEATH = October 8 1989
PLACE OF DEATH = Corvallis, Oregon