Charles Henry Hitchcock
Encyclopedia
Charles Henry Hitchcock (1836–1919) was an American geologist
.
. His father was Edward Hitchcock
(1793–1864) who was a professor of geology and natural theology and then president of Amherst College
. His mother was Orra White Hitchcock, who illustrated much of his father's work. Hitchcock attended Amherst College and considered entering the ministry. He married Martha Bliss Barrows. In 1866 and 1867, Hitchcock studied at the Royal School of Mines
in London
, examined fossils in the British Museum
, and visited glaciers in Switzerland
.
Hitchcock served as New Hampshire
State Geologist from 1868 to 1878. His survey produced a three volume report, and an atlas of maps. It was the first set of detailed maps of the geology of the state.
He taught at Dartmouth College
in 1868 and from 1869-1908 held the Hall Professorship of Geology and Mineralogy.
He used the tetrahedral hypothesis
which had been first published in 1875 by William Lowthian Green
to explain the formation of the Earth's land masses.
His distant cousin was Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
(1800–1855), who was an early missionary to Hawaii.
This led to a publication of a book the volcanoes of Hawaii.
Hitchcock left a collection of botanical specimens to the University of North Carolina
Herbarium.
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
.
Life
Hitchcock was born August 23, 1836 in Amherst, MassachusettsAmherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
. His father was Edward Hitchcock
Edward Hitchcock
Edward Hitchcock was a noted American geologist and the third President of Amherst College .-Life:...
(1793–1864) who was a professor of geology and natural theology and then president of Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. His mother was Orra White Hitchcock, who illustrated much of his father's work. Hitchcock attended Amherst College and considered entering the ministry. He married Martha Bliss Barrows. In 1866 and 1867, Hitchcock studied at the Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, examined fossils in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, and visited glaciers in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Hitchcock served as New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
State Geologist from 1868 to 1878. His survey produced a three volume report, and an atlas of maps. It was the first set of detailed maps of the geology of the state.
He taught at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1868 and from 1869-1908 held the Hall Professorship of Geology and Mineralogy.
He used the tetrahedral hypothesis
Tetrahedral hypothesis
The Tetrahedral hypothesis is an obsolete scientific theory attempting to explain the arrangement of the Earth's continents and oceans by referring to the geometry of a tetrahedron...
which had been first published in 1875 by William Lowthian Green
William Lowthian Green
William Lowthian Green was an English adventurer and merchant, who later became cabinet minister in the Kingdom of Hawaii. As an amateur geologist, he published a theory of the formation of the earth called the tetrahedral hypothesis.-Life:...
to explain the formation of the Earth's land masses.
His distant cousin was Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock was an early protestant missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii from the United States. With his three sons, he and his wife started a family that would influence Hawaii's history. He had at least three namesakes in the subsequent generations.-Life:Harvey Rexford Hitchcock was...
(1800–1855), who was an early missionary to Hawaii.
This led to a publication of a book the volcanoes of Hawaii.
Hitchcock left a collection of botanical specimens to the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
Herbarium.