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John Mason Clarke

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John Mason Clarke
Born(1857-04-15)April 15, 1857
Canandaigua, New York
DiedMay 29, 1925(1925-05-29)(aged 68)
Albany, New York
Alma materAmherst College
OccupationPaleontologist
Known forNew York state paleontologist
Spouses
  • Emma Sill
  • Fannie V. Bosler
ChildrenNoah T. Clarke
Parent(s)Noah Turner Clarke
Laura Mason Merrill

John Mason Clarke(April 15, 1857 – May 29, 1925) was an American teacher, geologist and paleontologist.

Early career[edit]

Born inCanandaigua, New York,the fifth of six children of Noah Turner Clarke and Laura Mason Merrill,[1]he attendedCanandaigua Academywhere his father was teacher and principal. In 1873 he matriculated toAmherst College,where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1877. He returned to Canandaigua Academy and served as an instructor in various subjects. In 1879–1880 he worked as an assistant toBenjamin K. Emersonat Amherst, then he taught at theUtica Free Academyduring 1880–1881.[2]This was followed by work as an instructor atSmith Collegefrom 1881 to 1882, where he was made professor. During his second year at Smith, his first three scientific papers were published, concerning arthropods.[1]

It was at this point that he traveled toGöttingen Universityin 1883, where he hoped to study for a doctorate. However, an accusation ofheterodoxyby the President of Smith College led to the termination of his services there. As a consequence, he returned to the United States, where he resumed his teaching career atMassachusetts Agricultural Collegeduring 1884–1885. Out of work, he continued a study of theUpper Devonian,which he hoped to use for his dissertation. In January 1886 he became an assistant toJames Hallat theNew York State Museum of Natural Historyin Albany. He continued an association with the museum for the remainder of his career.[1]

Paleontology and geology[edit]

He married his first wife, Emma Juel Sill, on September 29, 1887;[3]the couple had one son, Noah T. Clarke.[4]In 1894 he was named professor of Geology and Mineralogy at theRensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[1]He married his second wife, Fannie V. Bosler, in 1895.[5]Following the death of James Hall in 1898, Clarke was named New York State Paleontologist and was put in charge of a geological survey of New York.[6]In 1904 he became the State Geologist and Paleontologist, Director of the State Museum, and Director of the Science Division of the Education Department.[1]He was named the first president of thePaleontological Societyin 1908,[6]then served as vice president of theGeological Society of Americain 1909 and its president in 1916.[1][7][8]

John M. Clarke died in 1925 in Albany, New York. He was survived by his wife Fannie and son Noah.[4]During his career he published 452 titles, of which around 300 are on the subject of geology or paleontology. Three genera and 42 species were named after him. He was awarded six honorary degrees and received offers from four universities to chair their departments of geology.[1]TheJohn Mason Clarke 1877 Fellowshipwas established by his son Noah to provide income for graduate studies in geology or paleontology.[9]

Honors and awards[edit]

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The standardauthor abbreviationJ.M.Clarkeis used to indicate this person as the author whencitingabotanical name.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefgSchuchert, Charles (1926),"Biographical Memoir of John Mason Clarke"(PDF),Annual Report of the National Academy of Sciences,The National Academies Press,retrieved2013-03-19.
  2. ^abcdefghiSchuchert, Charles; Ruedemann, Rudolf (1926),"John Mason Clarke (1857–1925)",Annual Report of the National Academy of Sciences,vol. 62, no. 1597, pp. 136–143,doi:10.1126/science.62.1597.117,PMID17812838.
  3. ^Hughes, Thomas Patrick; Munsell, Frank (1889),American Ancestry: Embracing lineages from the whole of the United States,vol. 4, Albany, N.Y.: J. Munsell's sons, p. 143.
  4. ^abcWolcott, Charles D. (1926),"The Mary Clark Thompson Fund",Annual Report of the National Academy of Sciences,p. 43.
  5. ^abWho's who in New York City and State(5th ed.), New York: L.R. Hamersly Company, 1911, p. 178.
  6. ^ab"John Mason Clarke (1857-1925)",Middle Academic Period (1900s to 1960s),Harvard College, 2004, archived fromthe originalon 2013-03-06,retrieved2013-03-19.
  7. ^Fairchild, Herman LeRoy, 1932, The Geological Society of America 1888-1930, a Chapter in Earth Science History: New York, The Geological Society of America, 232 p.
  8. ^Eckel, Edwin, 1982, GSA Memoir 155, The Geological Society of America — Life History of a Learned Society: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Memoir 155, 168 p.,ISBN0-8137-1155-X.
  9. ^Prizes and Awards,Amherst College, archived fromthe originalon 2015-06-06,retrieved2013-03-19.
  10. ^Osborn, Henry Fairfield; et al. (1908),"Committee on the Hayden Memorial Award",Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,vol. 60, no. 3, p. 502,ISBN9781437954777.
  11. ^"John Clarke".www.nasonline.org.Retrieved2023-11-29.
  12. ^"APS Member History".search.amphilsoc.org.Retrieved2023-11-29.
  13. ^"John Mason Clarke".American Academy of Arts & Sciences.2023-02-09.Retrieved2023-11-29.
  14. ^International Plant Names Index.J.M.Clarke.
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