author
Sir John William Dawson
1820–1899
A leading Canadian geologist and educator, he helped shape both the study of fossils and the growth of higher education in Canada. His long career at McGill University made him one of the best-known scientific figures in 19th-century Canadian life.
9 Audiobooks
The Meeting-Place of Geology and History
by Sir John William Dawson
The Chain of Life in Geological Time A Sketch of the Origin and Succession of Animals and Plants
by Sir John William Dawson
The Geological History of Plants
by Sir John William Dawson
Facts and fancies in modern science Studies of the relations of science to prevalent speculations and religious belief
by Sir John William Dawson
The Origin of the World According to Revelation and Science
by Sir John William Dawson
Some Salient Points in the Science of the Earth
by Sir John William Dawson
Life's Dawn on Earth Being the history of the oldest known fossil remains, and their relations to geological time and to the development of the animal kingdom
by Sir John William Dawson
The Story of the Earth and Man
by Sir John William Dawson
Relics of Primeval Life: Beginning of Life in the Dawn of Geological Time
by Sir John William Dawson
About the author
Born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1820, he studied at the University of Edinburgh and returned home with a strong grounding in geology and natural history. Early in his career he worked in education in Nova Scotia, while also studying the province's geology and building a reputation as a careful observer of the natural world.
In 1855 he became principal of McGill University, a role he held until 1893. During those decades he helped expand the university and remained deeply involved in science, especially geology and paleobotany, publishing widely and contributing to the understanding of Canada's fossil record.
Dawson was widely honored in his lifetime, including a knighthood in 1884, and he was a founding member and first president of the Royal Society of Canada. He died in Montreal in 1899, remembered as both a major scientist and an influential builder of Canadian academic life.