Wheeler, George Montague, 1842-1905

Dates:
Birth 1842-10-09
Death 1905-05-03
Gender:
Male
Americans
English

Biographical notes:

Wheeler was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the son of John Wheeler and Miriam P. Daniels. He graduated from West Point in 1866, ranked sixth in his class, and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the US Army Corps of Engineers. He first served in California from 1866 to 1871. In 1869 General Edward O. C. Ord sent him on a reconnaissance through the eastern Nevada.

In 1872, the US Congress authorized an ambitious plan to map the portion of the United States west of the 100th meridian at a scale of 8 miles to the inch. This plan necessitated what became known as the Wheeler Survey, lasting until 1879, when the survey, along with the King and Powell Surveys, were terminated and their work was reorganized as the United States Geological Survey.

Wheeler was promoted to captain in 1879. In 1881 he represented the United States at the Third International Geographical Congress and Exhibition in Venice, Italy. He entered semi-retirement in 1883 but continued to write scientific reports until his full retirement from the army in 1888 at the rank of major. He died in New York City in 1905.

Wheeler Peak in Nevada (part of the Great Basin National Park), Wheeler Peak in New Mexico (the state high point), and the scenic Wheeler Geologic Area in southern Colorado are named for George Wheeler.

Links to collections

Comparison

This is only a preview comparison of Constellations. It will only exist until this window is closed.

  • Added or updated
  • Deleted or outdated

Information

Permalink:
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jh3wrq
SNAC ID:

Subjects:

  • Agriculture
  • Army Engineers
  • Astronomy
  • Astronomy
  • Coasts
  • Department Of Agriculture
  • Discoveries in geography
  • Ethnology Archaeology Anthropology
  • Exchanges Of Publications
  • Exposition
  • Geology
  • Indians
  • Meteorology
  • Meteorology
  • National Academy of Sciences
  • National Museum
  • Natural history
  • Physical geography
  • Recommendations For Positions
  • Scientific organizations
  • Scientific publications
  • Smithsonian Exchange
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Smithsonian Publications
  • Surveys And Explorations, General
  • Astronomy
  • Meteorology

Occupations:

  • Cartographers
  • Explorers
  • Soldiers

Places:

  • New York City, NY, US
  • Colorado, CO, US
  • West Point, NY, US
  • Grafton, MA, US
  • New Mexico, NM, US
  • Nevada, NV, US
  • Utah, UT, US

SNAC Cooperative Logo

Social Networks and Archival Context

SNAC is a discovery service for persons, families, and organizations found within archival collections at cultural heritage institutions.

Sponsors

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Endowment for the Humanities

Hosts

University of Virginia Library
National Archives and Records Administration