George Hunt Barton (1852–1933) was an American geologist, arctic explorer, and college professor. He was an alumnus and faculty member in geology at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, served as the director of the Teachers' School of Science in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and was the founding president of the

Boston Children's Museum Boston Children's Museum is a children's museum in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the education of children. Located on Children's Wharf along the Fort Point Channel, Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest children's museum in the Unit ...

. He was an explorer of

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

with

Robert E. Peary Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for, in Apri ...

in 1896, and in 1916 was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

. Shrock, Robert Rakes. (1982). Geology at MIT 1865-1965: A History of the First Hundred Years. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. .Memoir of George Hunt Barton. (1934). ''American Ancestors'', Vol. 88 No. 3, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston.

Early life, education and family

George Hunt Barton was born in

Sudbury, Massachusetts Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a rich colonial history. History Incorporated in 1639, the bou ...

on 8 July 1852 to George Washington Barton (1824-1894) and Mary Susan (Hunt) Barton (1828-1863). He studied geology at

(MIT), elected as secretary of his class, and earned a S.B. degree in 1880. Barton married Eva May Beede (1855–1933) on 18 September 1884 in Stow, Massachusetts, and they had three children:Harold Beede Barton (1887–1887), Donald Clinton Barton (1889–1939),and Helen Mary Barton (1891–1973) Barton is a direct descendant of Phillip Bardens, an early resident of

Walpole, Massachusetts Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Walpole Town, as the Census refers to it, is located about south of downtown Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population of Walpole was 26,383 at the 2020 censu ...

. He is also descended from some of the oldest families in Sudbury, his hometown, including

Edmund Rice Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings an ...

, one of the founders of the town.

Professional career

Barton began his career as a scientific illustrator at MIT after his graduation (1880–81). For two years from 1881 to 1883, he worked as a geologist for the Hawaiian Government Survey in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, and upon returning to Boston in 1883, he joined the faculty of MIT as an assistant professor and he became an authority on glacial landscapes.Marquis, Albert Nelson. (1916). ''Who's Who in New England, 2nd edition.'' A.N. Marquis & Company, Publishers, Chicago. p.86 He conducted geological investigations of Middlesex and Norfolk Counties in the 1880s and 1890s, and was among the first researchers to recognize the New England landscapes as resulting from ancient glaciation. He also lectured at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, and also served as president of the Appalachian Mountain Club. He was a participant in the sixth expedition of

to Greenland in 1896. He spent several years on the geological faculty of the Boston Society of Natural History, and in partnership with fellow geologist

William Otis Crosby William Otis Crosby (January 14, 1850, Decatur , Byrd Township, Brown County, Ohio - 31 December 1925, Boston) - American geologist and engineer, Professor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1906), a member of the American Academy of ...

operated a company selling rock and mineral collections to educators. Taking an interest in education of science teachers, Barton began in 1904 serving as the director of the Teachers' School of Science in

and was later in 1909 the founding president of the

that was originally associated with the School. Barton was a prominent public lecturer around Boston and the New England region at a time when public lectures were the primary medium for public dissemination of scientific knowledge. For his scientific accomplishments in glacial geology and in science education for teachers, he was elected as a Fellow of the

in 1916.

Death and family legacy

Barton died 25 November 1933 while lecturing in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, and is buried in the Barton family cemetery on the old family farm in Sudbury. Barton's son, Donald Clinton Barton (1889–1939) earned his Ph.D. in Geology from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1914. From 1927 to 1934 he operated his own business as a consulting geologist, and from 1934 until his death as a research geophysicist for the Humble Oil and Refining Company. He was a pioneer in the application of geophysical principles in the exploration for petroleum.

References

;Notes ;Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, George Hunt 1852 births 1933 deaths American geologists Explorers of the Arctic Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty People from Sudbury, Massachusetts People from Cambridge, Massachusetts Fellows of the Boston Society of Natural History