John Carrier Weaver (May 21, 1915 – March 10, 1995) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
of
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...
, and college administrator for several major
universities
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
in the United States.
Early life
Weaver was born in
Evanston,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
.
[ ][ ] His father, A. T. Weaver, was a professor of
speech and theater
at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
from 1918 to 1961. John Weaver graduated from the
University of Wisconsin High School
The University of Wisconsin High School was a public high school in Madison, Wisconsin, originally encompassing 7-12th grades. It opened September 1914 in a building erected for that purpose. The school was created and maintained by the University ...
, then received his
A.B.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
(1936),
A.M. (1937), and
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
(1942), all in geography, from the University of Wisconsin. He was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity.
Military service
He was on the staff of the
American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the ...
from 1940 to 1942, was a researcher for the Division of Geography and Cartography of the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
from 1942 to 1944, and from 1944 to 1946 served as an Arctic
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
in the
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
.
Research
Weaver's PhD provided a statistical analysis of US barley production (published as a paper 1943). While his later work provided a widely used method of defining agricultural regions (1954).
Career in higher education
Weaver taught geography at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
from 1946 to 1955; became dean of the College of Arts and Science at
Kansas State University (1955–1957); then dean of the Graduate College at the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
(1957–1961), vice president for research, and dean of the Graduate College at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
(1961–1964); and vice president for academic affairs at The
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
(1964–1966). From 1966 to 1970, Weaver served as president of the
University of Missouri System
The University of Missouri System is an American state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, and ten research and technology parks. Nearly 70,000 students are cu ...
.
In 1970, the regents of the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
elected Weaver president, and he took office in January 1971; when the
University of Wisconsin System was created in October 1971, Weaver became its first president.
[University of Wisconsin Archives and Records Management]
Presidents of the University of Wisconsin System
Weaver retired from the UW System in June, 1977, and moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
where he was a
Distinguished Professor
Distinguished Professor is an academic title given to some top tenured professors in a university, school, or department. Some distinguished professors may have endowed chairs.
In the United States
Often specific to one institution, titles such ...
of Geography at the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
and the first executive director of the Annenberg Center for the Study of the American Experience. He died in
Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Selected publications
* Weaver, J. C. (1943). Climatic relations of American barley production. ''Geographical Review'', 33(4), 569-588.
* Weaver, J. C. (1954). Crop-combination regions in the Middle West. ''Geographical Review'', 44(2), 175-200.
Academic Offices
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, John Carrier
1915 births
1995 deaths
American geographers
Science teachers
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni
Leaders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
People from Evanston, Illinois
Scientists from Madison, Wisconsin
Presidents of the University of Missouri System
Presidents of the University of Wisconsin System
University of Minnesota faculty
Kansas State University faculty
University of Iowa faculty
University of Nebraska faculty
Ohio State University faculty
20th-century geographers
United States Navy personnel of World War II
20th-century American academics