Thomas Egleston (December 9, 1832 – January 15, 1900) was an American engineer who helped found

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

's School of Mines, now the

Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (popularly known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering; previously known as Columbia School of Mines) is the engineering and applied science school of Columbia University. It was founded as th ...

. Throughout his lifetime, Egleston published numerous lectures and books on metallurgy. Many of his books are preserved today at the archive in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Background and education

A native New Yorker, Egleston was the great-grandson of John Paterson, a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. A graduate of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

under the counsel of Dr. Dudley in 1854, he continued his graduate study at Yale and further training in

École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris Mines Paris - PSL, officially École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris (until May 2022 Mines ParisTech, also known as École des mines de Paris, ENSMP, Mines de Paris, les Mines, or Paris School of Mines), is a French grande école and a c ...

in 1860, after which he was employed by the Smithsonian Museums in Washington D.C. In

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, Egleston pursued his interest in geology and chemistry, attending lectures at the Jardin des Plantes of Paris. He spent time in collections and laboratories while listening to lectures by renowned Professor de Senarmont and

Elie de Beaumont Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked vi ...

. After leaving Paris, Egleston traveled extensively in France and Germany to study geological collections.

Founding of School of Mines

In 1863 Egleston drafted a plan for the establishment of a school of mines, today's Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science connected with Columbia College. He was joined with

Charles F. Chandler Charles Frederick Chandler (December 6, 1836 – August 25, 1925) was an American chemist, best known for his regulatory work in public health, sanitation, and consumer safety in New York City, as well as his work in chemical education—first a ...

and Francis L. Vinton who jointly supervised the plan. Egleston became the first professor of mineralogy and metallurgy in 1864, and held that position until his death. He died at his home in New York City on January 15, 1900.

Works

In 1866, Egleston was commissioned to make geological survey of the then developing Union Pacific Railroad and examine fortifications in 1868. Egleston frequently consulted on metallurgical subject and was a regular advisor for the government on topics of furnace construction and the treatment of ores. In 1874, Egleston received an honorary degree of Ph.D. from

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

and LL.D. from

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

. Egleston was a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

and vice-president of the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wit ...

. He also served as president of the

American Institute of Mining Engineers The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional association for mining and metallurgy, with over 145,000 members. It was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Uni ...

. Egleston was also owner of numerous metallurgical patents.

Publications

The following is a list of Thomas Egleston's selected publications: *"Tables for the Determinations of Minerals" (New York, 1867) *"Metallurgical Tables on Copper, Lead, Silver, Gold, and other Metals " (1868) *"Tables of Weights, Measures, and Coins of the United States and France" (1868) *"Metallurgical Tables on Fuels, Iron, and Steel" (1869) *"Lectures on Mineralogy" (1871) *"The Metallurgy of Gold, Silver, and Mercury in the United States" (1887)

References

External links

''Science'' Magazine

{{DEFAULTSORT:Egleston, Thomas 1832 births 1900 deaths American engineers Yale University alumni Columbia University faculty Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science faculty Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences