George Hammell Cook (January 5, 1818 – September 22, 1889) was the state geologist of New Jersey and vice president of

Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

. His geological survey of New Jersey became the predecessor for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Biography

He was born in Hanover Township, New Jersey, on January 5, 1818, to John Cook and Sarah Munn. He married Mary Halsey Thomas on March 23, 1846. He served as the principal of The Albany Academy in Albany, New York from 1850 to 1852. He came to Rutgers in 1853 and was appointed professor of

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. His teaching duties also included mathematics and theology. Among his first research projects was the chemical analysis of

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

. This research led him to determine better places to mine marl, which led to his appointment as the assistant state geologist. He published a geological survey of New Jersey to replace the one made in 1840. In 1864 he was appointed as the state geologist of New Jersey. He had become a vice president of

and was a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

. He died on September 22, 1889, in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Cook College The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) is a constituent school of Rutgers University's New Brunswick-Piscataway campus. Formerly known as Cook College—which was named for George Hammell Cook, a professor at Rutgers in t ...

at Rutgers University was named after him, as is the George Hammell Cook Distinguished Alumni Award.

Timeline

*1818 Born in

Hanover, New Jersey Hanover Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 13,712, reflecting an increase of 814 (+6.3%) from the 12,898 counted in the 2000 Census, which had i ...

, on January 18, 1818 *1836 Surveyed

Canajoharie and Catskill Railroad The Canajoharie and Catskill Rail Road (C&C) ran from Catskill, NY to Potter's Hollow, NY. Originally it was intended to extend the railroad to Canajoharie, New York. Chartered in 1830,Beers, J.B.(1884). ''History of Greene County, New York, Wit ...

*1839 Graduated from the

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

*1839 Tutor at

*1842-1846 Senior Professor at

*1848 Professor of Math and Natural Philosophy at The Albany Academy *1848-1850 Glass-making in Albany, New York *1851-1853 Principal of The Albany Academy *1853 Chairman of Chemistry and Natural Sciences at

*1864 Elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society *1864-1889 Vice President of

*1864-1889 State Geologist of New Jersey *1872 Published first edition of Geology of New Jersey *1879 Appointed Director of the State

Agricultural Experiment Station An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with f ...

*1889 Died in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

Publications

References

External links

*
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, George Hammell 1818 births 1889 deaths American chemists American geologists People from Hanover Township, New Jersey Rutgers University faculty Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty American school principals Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (North Brunswick, New Jersey)

Biography

Timeline

Publications

See also

References

Further reading

External links