William Sansom Vaux (May 19, 1811 – May 5, 1882) was an American

mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...

from Pennsylvania.

Early life

Vaux was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

to George and Eliza H. Vaux. His parents were early Quaker settlers of the Province of Pennsylvania and amassed great wealth through their businesses. He inherited his parents wealth after their deaths and never engaged in business. His inheritance allowed him to dedicate his time toward the study of science and mineralogy in particular.

Career

He became a member of the

Academy of Natural Sciences The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natura ...

in 1834, and served it in various capacities in the next forty-eight years, including vice-president. He was also a member of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia and one of the original members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1859. Vaux made several trips to Europe to collect mineral specimens, and by his death his collection was considered to be the finest in the United States. William Sansom Vaux gravestone

Vaux was one of eight founders of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia and served as vice-president. From 1871 till his death he was treasurer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Vaux also served as president of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia.

Personal life

Vaux was married but his wife died several years before him. They had one son together, however he died at an early age. Vaux became infirm toward the end of his life from a disease contracted from travelling in Rome. He died of a tumor-like growth in his abdomen and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Legacy

He bequeathed his mineral and archaeological collections to the Academy of Natural Sciences, along with his library and an endowment for their preservation.''Audubon to Xantus'', by Barbara and Richard Mearns, Academic Press (1992) He is commemorated in the name of

Vaux's swift Vaux's swift (''Chaetura vauxi'') is a small swift native to North America, Central America, and northern South America. It was named for the American scientist William Sansom Vaux. Description This is a small swift, even compared to other ''C ...

, which was first discovered by his friend

John Kirk Townsend John Kirk Townsend (August 10, 1809 – February 6, 1851) was an American naturalist, ornithologist and collector. Townsend was a Quaker born in Philadelphia, the son of Charles Townsend and Priscilla Kirk. He attended Westtown School in ...

References

External links

* Th
Vaux Family Papers
including correspondence, journals, records and other miscellaneous papers, are available for research use at the

Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...

. 1811 births 1882 deaths American mineralogists Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Members of the American Philosophical Society Scientists from Philadelphia {{Philadelphia-stub