Erasmus Haworth (1855–1932) 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, althoug ...

. Born on a farm near

Indianola, Iowa Indianola is a city in Warren County, Iowa, United States, located south of downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The population was 15,833 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. Indianola is home to the National Balloon ...

, he graduated from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1881 and received a master's degree there in 1884. He received his doctoral degree from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

in 1888. He taught at various colleges, and was appointed professor of geology and mineralogy at the

in 1892, where he remained until 1920. Today, Haworth Hall, a building named after Haworth, houses the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Kansas. He organized the Kansas Geological Survey in 1894, and wrote several volumes of the survey from 1896 to 1904. He was state geologist from 1894 to 1915. In this position, he was instrumental in finding an ample water supply for Wichita and Newton. In 1903, he collected a sample of gas from a well drilled in

Dexter, Kansas Dexter is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 224. History The first post office at Dexter was established in July, 1870. Dexter was platted in 1875. Dexter is named for a tro ...

and had it analyzed by colleagues in the university's Department of Chemistry. The sample was found to contain

helium Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. ...

, which was previously believed to be rare on earth. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, Haworth repeatedly used his position as state geologist to warn against investing in phony

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

deposits in Trego and Ellis counties, Kansas. The politically influential promoters threatened to have Haworth fired from the university for his interference, but it eventually became clear that the deposits were an illusion and a swindle, and Haworth was vindicated.Dan Plazak (2007
''The imaginary gold mines of Kansas''
Mining History Journal, v.14, p.11-22. Haworth was connected with the

United States 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, ...

, and wrote several of its bulletins as well as bulletins for the Missouri Geological Survey and annual bulletins of statistics of the mineralogy and geology of Kansas. He also worked professionally for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

company in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

and

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, and for private parties in Kansas and adjacent states. He was a fellow 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. Hitch ...

and other scientific societies.

References

External links

*Blackmar, Frank W., ed. ''Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc.'', vol. 1. Chicago: Standard Pub. Co., 1912. Retrieved July 10, 2006 from https://web.archive.org/web/20060901052536/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/h/haworth_erasmus.html, transcribed May 2002 by Carolyn Ward. *DiZerega, Dottie. ''Erasmus Haworth'', a family history. Retrieved July 10, 2006 from https://web.archive.org/web/20070320152801/http://www.haworthassociation.org/Bios/Erasmus/erasmus.htm, the Haworth Association of America. American geologists 1855 births 1932 deaths Fellows of the Geological Society of America People from Indianola, Iowa University of Kansas alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni {{US-geologist-stub