Parker Cleaveland (January 1, 1780 – August 15, 1858) 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, althoug ...
and
mineralogist
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...
, born in
Rowley, Massachusetts
Rowley is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,161 at the 2020 census.
Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Rowley.
History
The area was inhabited by the Agawam people under sachem Ma ...
.
He was identified with the early progress of the
natural sciences. After having attending the
Dummer Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, he graduated from
Harvard in 1799, was tutor in
mathematics there from 1803 to 1805, was chosen
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 mathematics and natural
philosophy and lecturer on
chemistry and mineralogy in
Bowdoin College, a position which he retained until his death, although many professorships in other colleges and the presidency of his own were offered to him. He was elected an Associate Fellow 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, a ...
in 1809 and to 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 ...
in 1818.
He gathered a valuable collection of minerals and published a
treatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions." Tre ...
on ''Mineralogy and Geology'' (1816; third edition, 1856), which earned for him the title "Father of American Mineralogy."
Peleg Chandler was his son-in-law and funded the renovation of
Massachusetts Hall, Bowdoin College in 1872 after graduating from Bowdoin in 1834.
*
See also
*
Parker Cleaveland House
References
External links
Biographical Archive The Mineralogical Record.
Parker Cleaveland Collection George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library.
Genealogy profile Geni.com.
1780 births
1858 deaths
American geologists
American mineralogists
American science writers
Bowdoin College faculty
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Harvard University alumni
Harvard University faculty
People from Rowley, Massachusetts
People from Brunswick, Maine
The Governor's Academy alumni
{{US-geologist-stub