William Thomas Pecora (February 1, 1913 – July 19, 1972) 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, alth ...

Life and career

Willam Thomas Pecora was born on February 1, 1913, in

Belleville, New Jersey Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "Beautiful city / town") is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 38,222, reflecting an increase of 6.4% from th ...

, son of Cono and Anna (Amabile) Pecora. Both parents were born in southern Italy, in the village of

Sant'Arsenio Sant'Arsenio is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy, located about 180 km southeast of Naples and about 76 km southeast of Salerno. As of 30 June 2006, it had a population of 2, ...

. Pecora was the ninth of 10 children, four boys and six girls. His family was in the wholesale import business. In 1929, Pecora was awarded the Charles H. K. Halsey Scholarship that provided a $1,000 annual scholarship at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

, where he majored in

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

and geologic engineering; he was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1933. After graduation, he stayed on at Princeton as a geology tutor.Benson, William E
"Memorial of William Thomas Pecora: February 1, 1913 – July 19, 1972"
''American Mineralogist'', Volume 59, pages 420–423, 1974. Accessed January 12, 2009. In the summer of 1934, he was a field assistant to Erling Dorf, working in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Colum ...

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and '' ...

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers ( strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrat ...

. Pecora started graduate studies at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1935, concentrating on

optical mineralogy Optical mineralogy is the study of minerals and rocks by measuring their optical properties. Most commonly, rock and mineral samples are prepared as thin sections or grain mounts for study in the laboratory with a petrographic microscope. Optic ...

and

petrography Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. The class ...

. Pecora received a grant form the Holden Fund to finance fieldwork in 1937–1939 in the western fringe of the

Bear Paw Mountains The Bears Paw Mountains (Bear Paw Mountains, Bear's Paw Mountains or Bearpaw Mountains) are an insular-montane island range in the Central Montana Alkalic Province in north-central Montana, United States, located approximately 10 miles south of ...

. His doctoral thesis was a petrologic study of the Boxelder

laccolith A laccolith is a body of intrusive rock with a dome-shaped upper surface and a level base, fed by a conduit from below. A laccolith forms when magma (molten rock) rising through the Earth's crust begins to spread out horizontally, prying apar ...

. He received his Ph.D. from

in 1940. Pecora was the United States intercollegiate fencing champion in 1933 and went to Germany at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German language, German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German language, German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympi ...

in Berlin as a member of the United States Olympic fencing team, competing in the individual and team foil events. He married Ethelwyn Elizabeth Carter from

Franklin County, Kentucky Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,541. Its county seat is Frankfort, the state capital. The county was formed in 1795 from parts of Woodford, Mercer and Shelby c ...

on April 7, 1947. They had two children, William Carter Pecora born in 1949 and Ann Stewart Pecora born in 1953. In 1949, he started a large-scale geologic mapping program of eight fifteen-minute quadrangles in the Bearpaw Mountains. The first four of these maps was published in 1957 as Miscellaneous Geologic Investigation Maps and the other four were published in bulletins starting in 1960 and ending in 1963. In 1956, Pecora published a review paper on carbonatites which are

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word ''carbonate'' may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonate g ...

- silicate rocks containing a variety of minerals, including impressive reserve of rare commodities such as

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

zirconium Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name ''zirconium'' is taken from the name of the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. The word is related to Persian '' zargun'' (zircon; ''zar-gun'', ...

, and

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weakly ...

. In a 1962 paper, Pecora concentrated on the carbonatite deposits in the Bearpaw Mountains. In 1957, Pecora was selected as Chief of the Branch of

Geochemistry Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the e ...

and Petrology within the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States government. The scientists of the USGS study th ...

. He established programs in

geochronology Geochronology is the science of determining the age of rocks, fossils, and sediments using signatures inherent in the rocks themselves. Absolute geochronology can be accomplished through radioactive isotopes, whereas relative geochronology is p ...

, experimental

petrology Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rock (geology), rocks and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are commonly ...

, and

mineralogy 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 proc ...

. In 1961, he returned to research. He was named Chief Geologist in 1964 and a year later was appointed Director of the

by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. As Director, he pressed for programs that would be responsive to emerging national problems, such as investigations of gold resources and off-shore oil and gas exploration. He established the National Center of Earthquake Research in response to problems revealed by the

1964 Alaska earthquake The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 PM AKST on Good Friday, March 27.

. As Director, he advocated for the creation of a remote sensing satellite that would be used to gather information about the surface of the Earth, which became the

Landsat program The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. It is a joint NASA / USGS program. On 23 July 1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite was launched. This was eventually renamed to La ...

, the longest-running project for gathering images of Earth from space. Pecora was director of the USGS when the

Astrogeology Research Program The Astrogeology Science Center is the entity within the United States Geological Survey concerned with the study of planetary geology and planetary cartography. It is housed in the Shoemaker Building in Flagstaff, Arizona. The Center was estab ...

began in 1963. Pecora also addressed the discovery of large oil reserves of oil and gas on the north coast of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

in 1968. Under his Direction, the U.S. Geological Survey made a careful study of the geologic aspects of the proposed pipeline route. From 1947 to 1967 he was a member of the

United States Civil Service Commission The United States Civil Service Commission was a government agency of the federal government of the United States and was created to select employees of federal government on merit rather than relationships. In 1979, it was dissolved as part of t ...

's Board of Examiners for Geology, concerned with the development and maintenance of standards in the selection of geologists for federal employment. He was an active member of the Survey's Pick and Hammer shows, which were presented annually to make fun of top Survey managers. In 1970, Pecora expressed his opposition to burying the

Trans-Alaska Pipeline System The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is an oil transportation system spanning Alaska, including the trans-Alaska crude-oil pipeline, 11 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the Valdez Marine Terminal. TAPS is one of ...

, as it would be unsafe to place an underground pipeline in Arctic land He was appointed to serve as Undersecretary of the

United States Department of Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the man ...

by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

on April 1, 1971. He died at age 59 on July 19, 1972 at

George Washington University Hospital The George Washington University Hospital is a for-profit hospital, located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The current facility opened o ...

after having surgery for

diverticulitis Diverticulitis, specifically colonic diverticulitis, is a gastrointestinal disease characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches—diverticula—which can develop in the wall of the large intestine. Symptoms typically include lower abdomina ...

the previous month. A statement from President Nixon called him "a remarkable civil servant and an internationally respected figure in the scientific community".Staff
"Dr. William T. Pecora, 59, Dies; Under Secretary of the Interior; Department's No. 2 Man Led Geological Survey 1939–65 — Praised by Nixon"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 20, 1972. Accessed January 12, 2009. The mineral

pecoraite Pecoraite is a nickel silicate mineral and a member of the serpentine group. It was named after geologist William Thomas Pecora. It is monoclinic and has a chemical composition of Ni3(Si2O5)(OH)4. It is associated with the weathering-and-or oxidat ...

was named for him, as was the Pecora Escarpment in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

William T. Pecora Award

The William T. Pecora Award was established in 1974 to honor Pecora, and is sponsored jointly by the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA). It is presented annually to individuals or groups that make outstanding contributions toward understanding the Earth by means of

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

Awards and honors

* 1964 – President,

Geological Society of Washington The Geological Society of Washington is a learned society based in the Washington, D.C. area. According to its constitution, "The object of the Society is the increase and diffusion of geological knowledge" Founding and early history The Geologi ...

* 1965 – Fellow,

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

* 1965 – Fellow,

United States 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 Natio ...

* 1968 – President,

Cosmos Club The Cosmos Club is a 501(c)(7) private social club in Washington, D.C. that was founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878 as a gentlemen's club for those interested in science. Among its stated goals is, "The advancement of its members in science, ...

* 1968 – Distinguished Service Award,

* 1969 – Doctorate of Science,

Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankl ...

* 1969 – Rockefeller Public Service Award * 1970 – Member,

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 ...

* 1970 – Doctorate of Engineering,

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

* 1972 – Public Service Award,

American Association of Petroleum Geologists The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) is one of the world's largest professional geological societies with more than 40,000 members across 129 countries as of 2021. The AAPG works to "advance the science of geology, especially as ...

* 1973 – a 6,000 foot ridge in the

was named Pecora Ridge in honor of Pecora. * Fellow and Councilor,

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. Hitchc ...

* Fellow and Councilor,

Mineralogical Society of America The Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) is a scientific membership organization. MSA was founded in 1919 for the advancement of mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, and petrology, and promotion of their uses in other sciences, industry, ...

*
Conference
an
Award
are named in his honor.

Publications

* Pecora, William T. "Structure and Petrology of the Boxelder laccolith, Bearpaw Mountains, Montana" Geological Society of America Bulletin, vol.52, no.6, pp. 817–853, Jun 1941 * Pecora, William T. and S.W. Hobbs, "Nickel-gold deposit near Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington" US Geological Survey Bulletin No. 931-D, pp. 57–78 (1941) * Pecora, William T. and S.W. Hobbs, "Nickel deposit near Riddle, Douglas County, Oregon"
US Geological Survey Bulletin No. 931-I
pp. 205–226 (1942) * Pecora, William Thomas "Nepheline-syenite pegmatites in the Bearpaw Mountains of Montana" American Mineralogist, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 191, Mar 1939 * Pecora, William Thomas and Bernard Fisher, "Cenozoic geologic history of the Bearpaw Mountains, Montana" Geological Society of America Bulletin, vol.52, no.12, Part 2, pp. 1926–1927, Dec 1941 * Pecora, William T, "Nickel-silicate and associated nickel- cobalt-manganese-oxide deposits near Sao Jose do Tocantins, Goiaz, Brazil" US Geological Survey Bulletin, No. 0935-E, pp. 247–305, 1944 * Brown, Roland Wilbur and William Thomas Pecora, "Paleocene and Eocene strata in the Bearpaw Mountains, Montana" Science, vol.109, no.2837, pp. 487–489, May 1949 * Pecora, William T; Barbosa, Aluizio Licinio de M; Klepper, M R, "Mica deposits in Minas Gerais, Brazil
US Geological Survey Bulletin, No. 0964-C
pp. 205–305, 1950 * Bannerman, Harold MacColl; Pecora, William Thomas "Training geologists; a United States Geological Survey viewpoint
US Geological Survey Circular, No. 73
6 pp., 1950 * Lindberg, Marie Louise; Pecora, W T, "Tavorite and barbosalite; two new phosphate minerals from Minas Gerais, Brazil" Science, vol.119, no.3099, pp. 739, 1954 * Lindberg, Marie Louise; Pecora, W T, "Avelinoite, a new hydrous sodium ferric phosphate mineral from Minas Gerais, Brazil" Science, vol.120, no.3130, pp. 1074–1075, 1954 * Pecora, William Thomas, "Carbonatites; a review" Geological Society of America Bulletin, vol.67, no.11, pp. 1537–1555, Nov 1956 * Pecora, William Thomas, "Coesite craters and space geology" Geotimes, vol.5, no.2, pp. 16–19, 1960 * Schmidt, Robert George; Pecora, W T; Hearn, B C, Jr, "Geology of the Cleveland Quadrangle, Bearpaw Mountains, Blaine County, Montana
US Geological Survey Bulletin, No. 1141-P
pp. P1–P26, 1964 * Pecora, William T, "Surveying the Earth's resources from space" Surveying and Mapping, vol.27, no.4, pp. 639–643, 1967 * Pecora, William T, "Geologic applications of earth orbital satellites " Contained in "Space exploration and applications; Vol. 1" from the United Nations Conference on The Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Vienna, Austria, 1968. pp. 634–644. 1969

References

Additional sources

Memorial of William Thomas Pecora February 1, 1913–July 19, 1972
* Biographical Memoirs by National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) pp. 371–39
accessed in Google Books, January 9, 2009

External links

Portrait of William Thomas Pecora
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, a ...

Photograph of William Thomas Pecora
via the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pecora, William Thomas 1913 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American geologists Harvard University alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences People from Belleville, New Jersey Princeton University alumni Fencers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic fencers of the United States American people of Italian descent United States Geological Survey personnel Fellows of the Geological Society of America American male foil fencers Members of the American Philosophical Society