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William Embry Wrather (January 20, 1883 – November 28, 1963) 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 ...
.


Biography

He was born on a farm near Brandenburg in
Meade County, Kentucky Meade County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,003. Its county seat is Brandenburg. The county was founded December 17, 1823, and named for Captain James M. Meade, who was killed in ...
on January 20, 1883. He died in his home in Washington, DC on Thursday, November 28, 1963. He was the only son of Richard Anselm and Glovy Washington (Munford) Wrather. Wrather moved to Chicago at the age of 14 to live with relatives and to attend South Chicago High School. Wrather entered the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
in 1902 and received his ph.B. in Geology in 1907. During the summer of 1907, Wrather was a field assistant on a
US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, an ...
party in the mountains of western Montana. Wrather worked temporarily in clerical positions before going to work for Guffey Petroleum from 1908-1916. On December 30, 1910, he married his high school sweetheart, Alice Mildred Dolling in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, Illinois. In 1916, Wrather resigned to search for new oil fields. In 1918 his efforts contributed to the identification of the Desdemona field in
Comanche County, Texas Comanche County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,594. The county seat is Comanche. The county was founded in 1856 and is named for the Comanche Native American tribe. Hi ...
. Wrather's interest in the Desdemona field amounted to three quarters of a million dollars. Wrather then moved to Dallas an opened an office as a consulting geologist. On the recommendation of the National Research Council, Wrather was appointed United States delegate to successive International Geological Congresses in Spain, South Africa, Russia, the Netherlands, and Algeria. Wrather was a founding member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He served as Secretary-Treasurer in 1918 and as Chairman of the Research Committee from 1923 to 1933. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. He also served as President of the Texas State Historical Association for seven years. In 1940, Wrather was selected General Chairman for the Dallas annual meeting of 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 ...
, of which he became a member in 1917 and a Fellow in 1925. In 1943, he was appointed Treasurer of the Association and he served in that capacity of 11 years. Wrather was also a First Vice President of the
Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchco ...
and a President (1934) of the
Society of Economic Geologists The Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) is a scientific organization that promotes the study of geology as it relates to mining, mineral exploration, mineral resource classification and mineral extraction. The society's Publication Board publishe ...
. He served as president of the
American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum 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 ...
in 1948. In 1951, he was chosen to be a Life Trustee of the
National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...
. In 1942, Wrather came to Washington, DC to be the Assistant Chief of the Foreign Economic Administration for Metals and Minerals. In 1943, upon the retirement of
Walter Curran Mendenhall Walter Curran Mendenhall (February 20, 1871 – June 2, 1957), was the fifth director of the US Geological Survey. Life Mendenhall was born in Marlboro, Ohio to William King Mendenhall and Emma P. Garrigues. He graduated from Ohio Normal Univers ...
, 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 ...
recommended Wrather as a potential candidate for appointment and he was selected to be the Director of the
US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, an ...
.


USGS career

In 1943, as the Federal Government began planning for the postwar era, Director
Walter Curran Mendenhall Walter Curran Mendenhall (February 20, 1871 – June 2, 1957), was the fifth director of the US Geological Survey. Life Mendenhall was born in Marlboro, Ohio to William King Mendenhall and Emma P. Garrigues. He graduated from Ohio Normal Univers ...
, who had served 2 years beyond then mandatory retirement age by
Presidential exemption A presidential exemption is the power of President of a state to overrule or exempt certain laws or legal decisions. United States As an example from the separation of federal and state powers of the United States, in the U.S. Code Title 16 Cha ...
, was succeeded by William Embry Wrather. For most of his life, Wrather, a graduate of the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
who had been a Survey field assistant in 1907, had been an eminently successful consulting petroleum geologist, but when he was named Director he was Associate Chief of the Metals and Minerals Division of the Board of Economic Warfare. In the fall of 1943, Wrather was a member of the small mission sent by the Petroleum Administrator for War,
Harold L. Ickes Harold LeClair Ickes ( ; March 15, 1874 – February 3, 1952) was an American administrator, politician and lawyer. He served as United States Secretary of the Interior for nearly 13 years from 1933 to 1946, the longest tenure of anyone to hold th ...
, to appraise the petroleum resources of the Middle East, and
Thomas Brennan Nolan Thomas Brennan Nolan (May 21, 1901 – August 2, 1992) was an American geologist who was director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from 1956 to 1965. The mineral nolanite is named in his honor and he was an elected member of th ...
, a geologist in the Metals Section who had played a leading role in the strategic-minerals program, became Acting Director. In January 1956, after Director Wrather retired because of illness and age, Assistant Director
Thomas Brennan Nolan Thomas Brennan Nolan (May 21, 1901 – August 2, 1992) was an American geologist who was director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from 1956 to 1965. The mineral nolanite is named in his honor and he was an elected member of th ...
became the
US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, an ...
's seventh Director.


Awards and honors

* Honorary Membership - American Association of Petroleum Geologists (1943) * Alumni Medal - Chicago University (1943) * Honorary Doctorate - Southern Methodist University (1945) * Honorary Doctorate - Colorado School of Mines (1947) * Honorary Doctorate - University of Kentucky (1950) * Anthony F. Lucas Award - American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (1950) * Honorary Doctorate - Montana School of Mines (1952) * John Fritz Medal - American Society of Civil Engineers, et al. (1954) * Distinguished Service Award - US Department of the Interior (1954) * Sidney Powers Memorial Award - American Association of Petroleum Geologists (1956)


Publications

* Wrather, William Embry "The Vinton, Louisiana, oil field" Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, vol.5, no.2, pp. 339–340, Mar 1921 * Wrather, William Embry "Supposed igneous rock from Wichita County, Texas, wells" Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, vol.5, no.4, pp. 512–515, Jul 1921 * Wrather, William Embry "Dinosaur tracks in Hamilton County, Texas" Journal of Geology, vol.30, no.5, pp. 354–360, Jul 1922 * Wrather, William Embry "What of our future oil supply?" Economic Geology, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 331–333, May 1928 * Wrather, William Embry and Frederic H. Lahee. "Problems of petroleum geology; a sequel to Structure of typical American oil fields" American Association of Petroleum Geologists (1934) 1073 pp. * Wrather, William Embry "Trends in petroleum-production practice" Economic Geology and the Bulletin of the Society of Economic Geologists, vol.30, no.7, pp. 735–749, Nov 1935 * Wrather, W E "Coal in Alaska (USGS)" Miscellaneous Report - Alaska Territorial Department of Mines, Report: MR-195-26, 10 pp., 1943 * Wrather, William Embry "Wartime duties of U.S.G.S. cover multitude of services" Oil & Gas Journal, vol. 42, no. 46, pp. 102, Mar 1944 * Wrather, William Embry "Mineral resources and resourcefulness" Mines Magazine, vol.36, no.5, pp. 185–186, May 1946 * Wrather, William Embry "A new tool for marine geology" The Military Engineer, vol.44, no.302, pp. 411–412, Nov 1952 * Wrather, William Embry "The search for minerals, petroleum, and water resources" Mines Magazine, vol.43, no.1, pp. 39–42, Jan 1953 * Brantly, J.E. Memorial to William Embry Wrather, GSA Bulletin; April 1964; v. 75; no. 4; p. P71-P76 * Pratt, Wallace E. "William Embry Wrather (1883-1963)" AAPG Bulletin; October 1964; v. 48; no. 10; p. 1733-1738


References


William Embry Wrather bio
U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior


External links


Portrait of William Embry Wrather
via the
US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, an ...

Photograph of William Embry Wrather
via the US Geological Survey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrather, William Embry 20th-century American geologists 1883 births 1963 deaths United States Geological Survey personnel University of Chicago alumni People from Brandenburg, Kentucky