George Francis Mitchell, (15 October 1912 – 25 November 1997) was an Irish geologist and naturalist.
He was generally known as Frank Mitchell.
Career
He was born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, the son of David William Mitchell, a merchant, and his wife Frances Elizabeth Kirkby. He was educated at the
High School
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in Dublin then studied Natural Sciences at
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, where he graduated BA. He was later awarded M.Sc (1935) and M.A. (1937).
He became Assistant to the Professor of Geology,
Knud Jessen
Knud Jessen (29 November 1884 – 14 April 1971) was a Danish botanist and quaternary geologist.
Biography
Jessen was born at Frederiksberg, Denmark.
He was a student at the University of Copenhagen and was awarded cand.mag. in natural hi ...
, in 1934 and under his guidance carried out field studies of post-glacial sediments in Ireland. His lifetime interest, however, was in integrating the various disciplines in the study of the Irish natural environment and he developed interests in fields such as botany and archaeology. He bought
Townley Hall from Trinity College and turned it into a study centre, which he personally funded and which enabled research in several different disciplines, particularly archaeological investigations at Knowth.
He was elected a Fellow of Trinity College in 1944, followed by a readership in Irish Archaeology and then appointed to the Chair of Quaternary Studies in 1965.
Honours and awards
He was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1973.
He was awarded the
Boyle Medal
Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include:
Disambiguation
*Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...
of the
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...
in 1978
Boyle Medal Laureates
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...
and the Cunningham Medal
The Cunningham Medal is the premier award of the Royal Irish Academy. It is awarded every three years in recognition of "outstanding contributions to scholarship and the objectives of the Academy".
History
It was which was established in 1796 at t ...
of the Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...
in 1989. He was President of the Royal Irish Academy for 1976–79, of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland is a learned society based in Ireland, whose aims are "to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquit ...
for 1957–60, of An Taisce
An Taisce – The National Trust for Ireland (; meaning "the store" or "the treasury"), established in June 1948, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) active in the areas of the environment and built heritage in Ireland. It considers itself t ...
for 1991–93 and of the International Quaternary Association for 1969–73.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, George Francis
1912 births
1997 deaths
Scientists from Dublin (city)
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Fellows of the Royal Society
20th-century Irish historians
People associated with Trinity College Dublin