Leo Arthur Cotton

Leo Arthur Cotton was born on 11 November 1883 at Nymagee, New South Wales, Australia. He was educated at Fort Street School and Sydney University. He joined the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907-1909 (leader Ernest Henry Shackleton), assisting with the preliminary work of the expedition before departing for New Zealand in Nimrod on 22 February 1908.

On his return, he joined the staff of the University of Sydney and, in 1925, succeeded Tannatt Edgeworth David as professor of geology and physical geography, a post he held until 1948. He died on 12 July 1963.

From the guide to the Leo Cotton collection, 1908, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)