- Listenly
- Public Library
- All Authors
- W J McGee
author
W J McGee
1853–1912
A self-taught scientist and explorer, he moved from geology into anthropology and became a leading figure in the study of Native American cultures at the Smithsonian. His work ranged from surveying the Atlantic Coastal Plain to shaping early American ethnology and museum work.
2 Audiobooks
The Siouan Indians
by W J McGee
About the author
Born in 1853, W J McGee—also known as William John McGee—built an unusually wide-ranging career as a geologist, anthropologist, and ethnologist. Although he is often remembered in connection with anthropology, he first gained recognition for geological work, including surveys of the Atlantic Coastal Plain for the United States Geological Survey.
He later served as ethnologist in charge of the Bureau of American Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution from 1893 to 1903. His career also included leading the Department of Anthropology for the St. Louis Exposition and becoming the first director of the Saint Louis Public Museum.
McGee signed his work as "W J McGee," and that is how many archives still list him today. He died in Washington, D.C., in 1912, leaving behind a body of work that reflects the energetic, wide-open style of American science in his era.