William Maclure
William Maclure | |
|---|---|
William Maclure | |
| Born | 27 October 1763 Ayr, Scotland |
| Died | 23 March 1840 (aged 76) San Ángel, Mexico |
| Nationality | Born in Scotland |
| Citizenship | American |
| Known for | First geological map of America 1809, and New Harmony Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | geology, education, philanthropy |
| Institutions | Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia |
William Maclure (27 October 1763 – 23 March 1840) was an Americanized Scottish geologist, cartographer and philanthropist. He is known as the 'father of American geology'. As a social experimenter on new types of community life, he collaborated with British social reformer Robert Owen, (1771–1854), in the utopian settlement of New Harmony in Indiana, United States.
Maclure had a highly successful mercantile career, making a fortune that allowed him to retire in 1797 at the early age of 34 to pursue his scientific, geological and other interests. In 1809 he made the earliest attempt at a geological map of the United States of America.