author
Henry Gannett
1846–1914
A pioneering American geographer, he helped shape how the United States was mapped and measured at a national scale. His work with the U.S. Geological Survey and the census made him one of the key figures behind modern American cartography.
1 Audiobook
Occupations of the Negroes
by Henry Gannett
About the author
Born in Bath, Maine, on August 24, 1846, Henry Gannett studied at Harvard and went on to become one of the most important geographers of his era. He is often remembered as the "father of mapmaking in America," a reflection of how deeply his work influenced the way the country was surveyed, described, and understood.
Gannett worked on the Hayden surveys in the American West and later became the chief geographer of the United States Geological Survey, playing a central role in the development of topographic mapping in the United States. He also brought his geographic expertise to several U.S. census projects, helping organize and present population and regional data in clearer, more useful ways.
Beyond government work, he was active in major scientific organizations and was one of the founders of the National Geographic Society, later serving as its president. He died on November 5, 1914, in Washington, D.C., leaving behind a legacy that still touches American maps, place-name studies, and geographic research.