Francis P. Farquhar
Encyclopedia
Francis Peloubet Farquhar (December 31, 1887, Newton, Massachusetts
– November 21, 1974, Berkeley, California
) graduated from Harvard
and came to San Francisco
to set up in practice as a Certified Public Accountant
. He was a mountaineer
and an environmentalist
.
leader and served as its president 1933-1935 and 1948-1949. He served as Sierra Club Bulletin editor from 1926 to 1946, when that publication was one of the leading mountaineering journals in the world. He served in other club offices as a director from 1924 to 1951. Farquhar was a mountaineer who invited Robert L. M. Underhill
to introduce proper use of modern Alpine rope techniques to Sierra Club members on an annual club High Trip
in 1931. He made multiple first ascent
s. On August 26, 1921, he completed the first ascent of Middle Palisade
by the south-west chute with Ansel Hall
.
Farquhar is the author of several books and wrote the foreword for other books. He is best known for his book History of the Sierra Nevada (1946), which is still in print. He had terms as president of the California Academy of Sciences
, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the California Historical Society
.
In 1957 and 1958, Farquhar was editor of the American Alpine Journal
published by the American Alpine Club
.
Since 1970, the Sierra Club has given the Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award
in his honor.
, retired and lived with him in Berkeley.
(12,893'), located 1.6 miles (2.6 km) northwest of Mount Brewer
in Kings Canyon National Park
, was named in his honor.
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
– November 21, 1974, Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
) graduated from Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and came to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
to set up in practice as a Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
. He was a mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
and an environmentalist
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
.
Early life
Farquhar was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of David Webber Farquhar (1844–1905) and Grace Thaxter Peloubet (1863–1943). Graduating from Harvard in 1909, he came to San Francisco in 1910 and, after several business experiences, returned to New England to take up the profession of accounting, studying under Clinton Scovell, a pioneer in the field of cost accounting. In 1914 he came again to California, eventually setting up his own practice in San Francisco as a certified public accountant.California
Francis Farquhar was an active Sierra ClubSierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
leader and served as its president 1933-1935 and 1948-1949. He served as Sierra Club Bulletin editor from 1926 to 1946, when that publication was one of the leading mountaineering journals in the world. He served in other club offices as a director from 1924 to 1951. Farquhar was a mountaineer who invited Robert L. M. Underhill
Robert L. M. Underhill
Robert Lindley Murray Underhill was an American mountaineer best known for introducing modern Alpine style rope and belaying techniques to the U.S. climbing community in the late 1920s and early 1930s....
to introduce proper use of modern Alpine rope techniques to Sierra Club members on an annual club High Trip
High Trips
The High Trips were large wilderness excursions organized and led by the Sierra Club beginning in 1901. Club secretary William Colby initiated the High Trips, which usually traveled to the High Sierra, and led them from 1901 to 1929. Colby wrote, "It was from John Muir, President of the Club,...
in 1931. He made multiple first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
s. On August 26, 1921, he completed the first ascent of Middle Palisade
Middle Palisade
Middle Palisade is a peak in the Palisades group, part of the central Sierra Nevada mountain range in the US state of California. It is the twelfth highest peak in the state....
by the south-west chute with Ansel Hall
Ansel Franklin Hall
Ansel F. Hall was an American naturalist. He was the first Chief Naturalist and first Chief Forester of the United States National Park Service.-Early career:...
.
Farquhar is the author of several books and wrote the foreword for other books. He is best known for his book History of the Sierra Nevada (1946), which is still in print. He had terms as president of the California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the California Historical Society
California Historical Society
The California Historical Society is California's official state historical society and is located in San Francisco, California at 678 Mission Street -History and collections:...
.
In 1957 and 1958, Farquhar was editor of the American Alpine Journal
American Alpine Journal
The American Alpine Journal is an annual magazine published by the American Alpine Club. Its mission is "to document and communicate mountain exploration."...
published by the American Alpine Club
American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club, or AAC, was founded in 1902 by Charles Ernest Fay, and is the leading national organization in the United States devoted to mountaineering, climbing, and the multitude of issues facing climbers...
.
Since 1970, the Sierra Club has given the Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award
Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award
The Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award is given by the Sierra Club, and is named after club leader, historian and mountaineer Francis P. Farquhar. According to the Sierra Club, this award "honors an individual's contribution to mountaineering and enhancement of the Club's prestige in this...
in his honor.
Published works
- 1925: Exploration of the Sierra Nevada, California Historical Society
- 1926: Place names of the High Sierra, Issue 62 of Publications of the Sierra ClubSierra Club BooksSierra Club Books is the publishing division of the Sierra Club, founded in 1960 by then Sierra Club President David Brower. Volumes intended for club members had been published prior to 1960. In addition, books under their name had been published before 1960, but done through already established...
- 1938: The Helmet of Mambrino, The Book Club of California
- 1948: Yosemite, the Big Trees and the High Sierra, Martino Publishing, ISBN 978-1578981557
- 1950: Flight to the North Pole, 24 August 1949, Grabhorn Press (Berkeley, CA)
- 1953: First ascents throughout the world, 1901-1950, Grabhorn Press (Berkeley, CA)
- 1953: The Books of the Colorado River & the Grand Canyon, Fretwater Press, ISBN 978-1892327147 *1957: Place names for Bohemians: Clubhouse to Grove, Silverado Squatters
- 1959: Naming Alaska's mountains: with some accounts of their first ascents, American Alpine Club
- 1965: History of the Sierra Nevada, University of California Press, Berkeley, ISBN 0520015517
- 1969: Joaquin Murieta, the brigand chief of California, Valley Publishers, (Fresno, CA)
- The topographical reports of Lieutenant George H. Derby
- Up and Down California in 1860-1864, University of California Press, Berkeley,
- Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada
Family life
His wife Marjory Bridge Farquhar died 1999 in San Francisco. His half brother, the Los Angeles architect Robert D. FarquharRobert D. Farquhar
Robert David Farquhar was an architect working in California 1905 - 1940.-Early life:Farquhar was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of David Webber Farquhar and Sarah Malvina Joslyn. He attended Phillips Exeter and Harvard...
, retired and lived with him in Berkeley.
Legacy
Mount FarquharMount Farquhar
Mount Farquhar, or Mount Francis Farquhar, is a peak in Kings Canyon National Park. It is named in for of Francis P. Farquhar, a conservationist who played a key role in creating the park.- Geography :...
(12,893'), located 1.6 miles (2.6 km) northwest of Mount Brewer
Mount Brewer
Mount Brewer is on the Great Western Divide, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada in California. It is located in Kings Canyon National Park,The peak was named for William Henry Brewer who worked on the first California Geological Survey and was the first Chair of Agriculture at Yale University's...
in Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park is a National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California. The park was established in 1940 and covers...
, was named in his honor.
External links
- Francis Farquhar Obituary (Sierra Club Bulletin)
- Francis P. Farquhar, Exploration of the Sierra Nevada (1925)
- Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
- Guide to the Francis P. Farquhar Papers at The Bancroft Library
- Portrait Photo on Mt. Whitney