Amadeus William Grabau (January 9, 1870 – March 20, 1946) was an American geologist who worked in China.

Biography

Grabau's grandfather, J.A.A. Grabau, led a group of dissident Lutheran immigrants from Germany to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. His education began in his father's parochial school in his birthplace of

Cedarburg, Wisconsin Cedarburg is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located about north of Milwaukee and in close proximity to Interstate 43, it is a suburban community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The city incorporated in 1885, and a ...

, and then the public high school there. After his father became head of the Martin Luther Seminary in 1885, he finished high school in Buffalo. He took classes in the evenings while apprenticed to a bookbinder. His interest in local fossils grew. In a correspondence course in mineralogy, he impressed geologist

William Otis Crosby William Otis Crosby (January 14, 1850, Decatur , Byrd Township, Brown County, Ohio - 31 December 1925, Boston) - American geologist and engineer, Professor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1906), a member of the American Academy of ...

enough to hire him at the

Boston Society of Natural History The Boston Society of Natural History (1830–1948) in Boston, Massachusetts, was an organization dedicated to the study and promotion of natural history. It published a scholarly journal and established a museum. In its first few decades, the s ...

in 1890, and arrange his education at

Boston Latin The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

, and Harvard. He taught at

and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute early in his career. In 1901 he became a professor at

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 ...

in New York. He married Barnard student

Mary Antin Mary Antin (born Maryashe Antin; June 13, 1881 – May 15, 1949) was an American author and immigration rights activist. She is best known for her 1912 autobiography ''The Promised Land (autobiography), The Promised Land'', an account of her emi ...

on October 5, 1901. She would go on to become a prominent author. The pro-German attitudes during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

led to an estrangement from his wife, and in 1919 he left Columbia for China. He traveled to China to become a professor at

University of Peking Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...

and a member of the Chinese Geological Survey in October 1920. As part of his life's work, he conducted a geologic survey of China, and is now known as the father of Chinese geology. In 1936, the National Academy of Sciences awarded him the

Mary Clark Thompson Medal The Mary Clark Thompson Medalis awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "for most important service to geology and paleontology." Named after Mary Clark Thompson and first awarded in 1921, it was originally presented every three years toget ...

from for most important service to geology and paleontology. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he remained in Peking. Around 1941 he was interned by the

Japanese Imperial Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor ...

. His health declined precipitously, and he died of an

internal hemorrhage Internal bleeding (also called internal hemorrhage) is a loss of blood from a blood vessel that collects inside the body. Internal bleeding is usually not visible from the outside. It is a serious medical emergency but the extent of severity depen ...

after his release.

Books

Grabau was also a prolific author, publishing at least 10 books in the first half of the 20th century. Grabau developed various

theories A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...

during his lifetime, among them the theory of rhythms concerning the growth of the earth's crust and a theory concerning mountain building and creation. The Dorsum Grabau, a wrinkle ridge on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

was named after him in 1976. A list of books written by Grabau, and their publication dates includes: *''North American Index Fossils'' (1909, 1910) ** Grabau A. W. & Shimer H. W. 1909
''Invertebrates. Volume I.''
A. G. Seiler & Company, New York.
alternate scan
** Grabau A. W. & Shimer H. W. 1910
''Invertebrates. Volume II.''
New York.
''Principles of Stratigraphy''
(1913) *''Textbook of Geology'' (1920–21) Two volumes
Part IPart II
*''Silurian Fossils of Yunnan'' (1920)
''Ordovician Fossils of North China''
(1922) *''Paleozoic Corals of China'' (1921) *''Stratigraphy of China'' (1924–25) *''Migration of Geosynclines'' (1924) *''Early Permian Fossils of China'' (1934) *''Rhythm of the Ages'' (1940)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grabau, Amadeus 1870 births 1946 deaths American geologists American paleontologists Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty Columbia University faculty People from Cedarburg, Wisconsin Scientists from Buffalo, New York American expatriate academics American expatriates in China Boston Latin School alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Harvard University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty American prisoners of war in World War II World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan American people of German descent Deaths from bleeding

Biography

Books

References

Further reading

External links