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 mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

. He served as vice-president 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 natur ...

in Philadelphia from 1864 to 1882 and as president of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia. His mineral and archaeological collections were bequeathed to the Academy of Natural Sciences after his death.

Early life

Vaux was born on May 19, 1811, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

to George and Eliza H. Vaux. His ancestors were early

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

settlers of the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

and amassed great wealth through their businesses. Vaux left the Quaker religion at a young age and joined the Episcopal Church. 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 in 1834, and served in various capacities, including as vice-president from 1864 to 1882. Vaux made several trips to Europe to collect mineral specimens, and his collection was considered to be the finest in the United States. Vaux was one of eight founders of the

Numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia and served as vice-president. He served as president of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia. He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1859. In 1859, he purchased the James McBride collection of archaeological surveys, field notes and drawings of artifacts at a public auction.

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 on May 5, 1882, of a tumor-like growth in his abdomen and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

Legacy

He bequeathed his mineral and archaeological collections to the Academy of Natural Sciences, along with his library and an endowment for their preservation. His collection of James McBride's archaeological surveys, field notes, and surveys has been on loan indefinitely since 1960 from the Academy of Natural Sciences to the

Ohio Historical Society Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connect ...

. The Vaux's swift was named in his honor by

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

. In 1986, his great-nephews donated his collection of

Roman glass Roman glass objects have been recovered across the Roman Empire in domestic, industrial and funerary contexts. Glass was used primarily for the production of vessels, although mosaic tiles and window glass were also produced. Roman glass producti ...

to the

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology The Penn Museum is an archaeology and anthropology museum at the University of Pennsylvania. It is located on Penn's campus in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, at the intersection of 33rd and South Streets. Housing over 1.3 mi ...

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 historic research facility headquartered on Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chron ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaux 1811 births 1882 deaths American mineralogists Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Members of the American Philosophical Society Quakers from Pennsylvania Scientists from Philadelphia