Wolfgang Louis Gottfried Joerg, better known as W. L. G. Joerg (February 6, 1885 – January 7, 1952) was an American geographer, and in particular an expert in the geography of the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

and

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

regions, who exercised broad influence on the field in various positions, ultimately as Chief Archivist of the Cartographic Records Branch of the National Archives.Herman R. Frits, Arctic Institute of North America
W. L. G. JOERG (1885-1952)
John K. Wright,
Obituary: W. L. G. Joerg 1885-1952
, ''Geographical Review'', published by the American Geographical Society, Vol. 42, No. 3 (Jul., 1952), pp. 482-488. Joerg was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. A prodigy, Joerg graduated from the Brooklyn Polytechnic Preparatory School at the age of fourteen. He was fluent in many languages, and studied in Germany, at Thomas Gymnasium and the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

, from 1901 to 1904, then studied

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, and ...

and

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

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 ...

for a year. After returning to Germany for a five year stint at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

, Joerg entered into employment with the American Geographical Society in 1911, where he would remain until 1937, when he left the Society to accept the post of Chief of the Division of Maps and Charts in the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Joerg was the first employee of the Society to have had advanced university training in modern geography. Joerg published many books and articles on geography, including volumes on the geography of the polar regions. Although he personally never travelled to the polar regions, he was considered to be the world's greatest expert on the geography of these regions. His early death was caused by a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

. Commendation by the United States Board on Geographic Names The

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

(BGN), at the 25th Meeting of the Board held on January 15, 1952, adopted a resolution commending W.L.G. Joerg. The commendation reads as follows: WHEREAS in the death of W.L.G. Joerg on January 7, 1952 the Board on Geographic Names has lost a true friend and trusted advisor who served as a member of the

from June 9, 1938 and as its chairman from March 18, 1940 until its replacement by the present Board on July 10, 1947, and WHEREAS he served as a chairman of the Special Committee on Antarctic Names from its inception on July 23, 1943 to July 25, 1947, and as a member of the succeeding

Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica. History The committee was established ...

until his death and WHEREAS his extraordinary knowledge of geography, geographers, exploration and scientific literature in several languages, his unwavering devotion to truth and scholarship, and his deep understanding of the principles of geographic nomenclature are reflected in all of the Board's successes from the time he joined it, and WHEREAS his warm human kindness, modesty and integrity generated both affection and respect for him in all who came to know him: Now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board on Geographic Names in regular meeting assembled, humbly acknowledges its great debt to the late W.L.G. Joerg, and proudly holds aloft as a beacon his example of selfless service to his fellow men; and be it further RESOLVED, That this resolution be spread upon the minutes of this Board, and that a copy be transmitted to his widow.

References

External links

Works by W. L. G. Joerg
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Joerg, W. L. G. 1885 births 1952 deaths American geographers Presidents of the American Association of Geographers Poly Prep alumni Leipzig University alumni 20th-century geographers