Scott Turner (July 31, 1880 – July 30, 1972)''Who was who in America,'' Volume 5. 1973. p. 735 was an American

mining engineer Mining engineering is the extraction of minerals from the ground. It is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, metallurgy, geotechnical engineering and surveying. A mining engineer m ...

. He served as the 5th Director of the

United States Bureau of Mines The United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) was the primary Federal government of the United States, United States government agency in the 20th century that conducted scientific research and disseminated information on the extraction, processing ...

from 1926 to 1934 and was the 18th recipient of the

Hoover Medal The Hoover Medal is an American engineering prize. It has been given since 1930 for "outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity". The prize is given jointly by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Institute of M ...

Early life

Turner was born in 1880 in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...

, son of

James Munroe Turner James Munroe Turner (April 23, 1850July 6, 1896) was a Michigan politician. Early life James Munroe Turner was born in Lansing, Michigan, on April 23, 1850, to parents James Madison Turner and Marian Munroe Turner. Career On November 7, 1876, ...

and Sophie (Scott) Turner. His father owned a 1,200 acre Springdale Farm in Lansing, a property known for its prize beef at the time. His grandfather James Madison Turner built the

Turner-Dodge House The Dodge Mansion, also known as Turner-Dodge House, is a historic house in Lansing, Michigan that was built in 1855. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972 as Dodge Mansion. The Turner-Dodge House is now a mus ...

in Lansing. He obtained his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in geology from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1902, and his EM from the Michigan College of Mines, now

Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Uppe ...

, in 1904.

Career

Turner started his career as mining engineer, developing mineral deposits in Alaska, Panama, Canada and 14 other countries. For a time he managed the Arctic Coal Company in

Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipel ...

(now Svalbard). In

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

, and in 1915 he survived the sinking of the RMS ''Lusitania''. He was on the Lusitania to assess a coal discovery in Spitsbergen, Norway. From 1926 to 1934 he was director of the

. He resigned in July 1934, but did not leave office until August 16, 1934. In 1932, he served as president of the

American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional association for mining and metallurgy, with over 145,000 members. The association was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Penns ...

(AIME).

Personal

Turner married Amy Prudden Jenison in 1919. She died on February 6, 1972. Turner sold Springdale Farm to the city of Lansing after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. From a portion of the property, the city built Arboretum Park in its place in the 1950s.

Death

Turner died on July 30, 1972, in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Lansing.

References

External links

Scott Turner Collection, 1838-1972
1880 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American engineers American mining engineers Engineers from Michigan People from Lansing, Michigan RMS Lusitania survivors Michigan Technological University alumni United States Bureau of Mines personnel United States Navy personnel of World War I University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni {{mining-bio-stub