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McGee William John (04.17.1985 - 04.09.1912)
Born in Farley, Iowa. He received his education independently and devoted his young jurisprudence, was engaged in invention, having patented several improvements on agricultural implements. Later, McGee became interested in geology. In 1877–1881 he performed a topographic and geological survey of 17,000 square miles in northeastern Iowa, examined the forests of the Mississippi Valley, and explored the large lakes of Nevada and California. In 1881 he became a geologist of the US Geological Survey (USGS) and in 1884 published an atlas of geological maps of the United States, showing the level of geological knowledge that existed at that time. In 1886 as a geologist of the Geological Survey, McGee surveyed the epicentral zone of a destructive earthquake in South Carolina. During the years 1893-1903 McGee led the American Ethnological Society. In 1895 he explored the island of Tiburon, Gulf of California, the dwellings of Seri Indians, in 1904 was the head of the department of anthropology at the World Exhibition, and in 1907 President T. Roosevelt appointed him a member of the Inland Waterways Commission.
McGee also held other responsible positions: Acting President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1897–1898); President of the American Anthropological Association (1902–1912) and President of the National Geographic Society (1904–1905). He was buried in McGee Cemetery, Dubuque County, Iowa, USA. Islands in the archipelago of Franz Josef Land in the north of the Strait of Italy. Named in 1899 by the expedition of W. Wellman. |
