Branner, John Casper, 1850-1922

John Casper Branner (1850-1922) was a geologist was born on July 4, 1850, in New Market, Tennessee. He enrolled at Maryville College, but after two years he transferred to Cornell. He developed an interest in Brazil and he accompanied his professor, Charles F. Hartt, there in 1874, staying until 1883. He studied the country's geology, and also searched for vegetable fibers that could be used to make incandescent light. At the same time, he studied insects that affected cotton plants, under the commission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He received his Bachelor's degree in 1882. In the same year, he was appointed assistant geologist to the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania. In 1885, he accepted position as professor and chairman of the Department of Geology at Indiana University, where he remained until 1891. He later became director of the Geological Survey of Arkansas, and was the state's geologist until March 16, 1893. He then became a professor of geology at Stanford University. He became vice president of Stanford in 1898, and president in 1913. He retired two years later. He died on March 1, 1922.

Smithsonian Institution Archives Field Book Project: Person : Description : rid_425_pid_EACP422

...