Charles Frederick Hoffmann (February 29, 1838 – June 20, 1913) was a German-American topographer working in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

from 1860 to 1880.

Life

Hoffmann was born in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany on February 29, 1838. After receiving an education in engineering, he emigrated to America. In 1857 he was topographer for Frederick Lander's survey to the Rocky Mountains. He came to California in 1858. He was recruited by

Josiah Whitney Josiah Dwight Whitney (November 23, 1819 – August 18, 1896) was an American geologist, professor of geology at Harvard University (from 1865), and chief of the California Geological Survey (1860–1874). Through his travels and studies in the ...

to join the

California Geological Survey The California Geological Survey, previously known as the California Division of Mines and Geology, is the California state geology, geologic agency. History Although it was not until 1880 that the California State Mining Bureau, predecessor to ...

because of his valuable skill as a topographer. Hoffmann is largely responsible for introducing

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

to the United States. He helped explore the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

of California, from 1860 through 1870, and 1873 through 1874. As a member of the Survey, Hoffmann created the official maps from the expeditions made by the survey team. Hoffmann achieved a number of

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

s in the Sierra Nevada: *

Mount Brewer Mount Brewer is on the Great Western Divide, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada in California. It is located in Kings Canyon National Park, The peak was named for William Henry Brewer who worked on the first California Geological Survey and wa ...

Mount Dana Mount Dana is a mountain in the U.S. state of California. Its summit marks the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park and the western boundary of the Ansel Adams Wilderness. At an elevation of , it is the second highest mountain in Yosemite ...

* Mount Silliman *

Tower Peak Tower Peak may refer to: * Tower Peak (Antarctica) in Graham Land, Antarctica * Tower Peak (British Columbia) in the Beaverfoot Range, British Columbia, Canada * Tower Peak (California) in California, United States * Tower Peak (Montana) in Mo ...

In 1870 he married Lucy Mayotta Browne. In 1871 and 1872 he was Professor of Topographical Engineering at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Later, he was a mining engineer at

Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno, Nevada, Reno–Sparks, Nevada, Sparks Reno, NV Metropolitan ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Charles Hoffmann died in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

on June 20, 1913.

Legacy

Mount Hoffmann, a high peak in central

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

, is named after him.

References

External links

Biographical sketch
by

Francis P. Farquhar Francis Peloubet Farquhar (December 31, 1887 – November 21, 1974) was an American mountaineer, environmentalist and author. In his professional life, he was a Certified Public Accountant. Early life Farquhar was born in Newton, Massachuset ...

, ed., in ''Up and Down California'' *Charles F. Hoffmann
"Notes on Hetch-Hetchy Valley"
''Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences'' (San Francisco: CAS, 1868), ser. 1, 3:5] {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmann, Charles Frederick 1838 births 1913 deaths Immigrants to the United States American cartographers German mountain climbers German explorers of North America Explorers of the United States California Geological Survey