Theodore Bryant Comstock (1849–1915) was an American geologist, educator, university administrator, and mining consultant. He served as the first president of the University of Arizona.

Early life

Theodore B. Comstock was born in

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Cuyahoga Falls ( or ) is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 51,114. The second-largest city in Summit County, it is located directly north of Akron and is a suburb of the Akron metropol ...

on July 27, 1849. He earned a bachelor's degree at Pennsylvania State Agricultural College, and postgraduate degrees from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

. He married Blanche Huggins in 1880.

Career

He was a professor of general and economic geology at

from 1875 to 1879, and a professor of mining engineering and physics at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

from 1885 to 1889. He served as first president of the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

from 1894 to 1895. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from what is now Pennsylvania State University in 1868, a Bachelor of Science in 1870 and D.Sc. in 1886 from

. Theodore B. Comstock died at his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

on July 26, 1915.

Works

''Reports on the Geology of Northwestern Wyoming''
(1874)
''Outline of General Geology''
(1878) * ''Map of San Juan County, Colo.'' (1882) * ''Reports on gold and silver, Arkansas survey, and on the central mineral region of Texas'' (1889) He made contributions to ''

American Naturalist ''The American Naturalist'' is the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society of Naturalists, whose purpose is "to advance and to diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles so as to enhance t ...

'', the '' American Journal of Science'', and the ''Engineering and Mining Journal''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comstock, Theodore Cornell University alumni Pennsylvania State University alumni Cornell University faculty University of Illinois faculty University of Arizona faculty Presidents of the University of Arizona 1849 births 1915 deaths People from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio