Lardner Vanuxem (July 23, 1792 – January 25, 1848), was an American

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

. He was graduated at the Ecole des mines, Paris, in 1819. After his education, he became the Chair of Chemistry and Mineralogy at South Carolina College in

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South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. In 1826 he retired from the college and devoted his attention exclusively to geology as a profession. During that year he published in newspapers and in Robert Mills' "Statistics of South Carolina" report on the geology of the state. He visited

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to examine mining property. From 1827 to 1828, he studied the geological features of the states of

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, and

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, under the auspices of the state of

, and made his report to its legislature. On the establishment of the geological survey of New York in 1836, Professor Vanuxem was assigned to the charge of the 3d geological district, and continued in the active work of the survey until 1841. At the close of the survey he spent some time in Albany arranging the state geological cabinet, out of which grew the New York State Museum. Professor Vanuxem's private collection of mineral and geological specimens was considered at the time of his death to be "the largest, best arranged, and most valuable private collection in the country." He was a member of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

(1822). Vanuxem saw the need for a uniform system of nomenclature in the

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which led him to form a collaborative group that in 1847 became 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 ...

. Vanuxem was an intensely religious man. Raised in the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, he abstained from alcohol and tobacco and was a strong advocate of human rights. He even advocated women's equality. Lardner married Mary Ann Newbold in 1831, and they had seven children. http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=1328 The Mineralogical Record: Biographical Archive

Publications

* ''Geology of New York, 3d District'' (Albany, 1842) * He wrote numerous papers on scientific subjects in the ''American Journal of Science''
Catalogue of the Cabinet of Natural History of the State of New York, and of the Historical and ...
(1853) * ''An Essay on the Ultimate Principles of Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, and Physiology'' (Philadelphia, 1827) * ''Account of the jeffersonite, a new mineral discovered at the Franklin Iron Works, near Sparta, in New Jersey'' with W.H. Keating. ''Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia Journal',' vol. 2, pages 194–204 (1822) * ''On a new locality of the automolite,'' ''Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia Journal,'' vol. 2, pages 249–251 (1822)

External links

The Lardner Vanuxem Mineral Collection: Rhodes College Digital Repository

Wurts family papers
at

Hagley Museum and Library The Hagley Museum and Library is a nonprofit educational institution in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. Covering more than along the banks of the Brandywine Creek, the museum and grounds include the first du Pont ...

. Collection includes Vanuxem family papers as well.

Sources

* ''Pioneers of Science in America'' By William Jay Youmans, page 270 {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanuxem, Lardner 1792 births 1848 deaths Scientists from Philadelphia American geologists Columbia College (South Carolina) faculty