Davis, William Morris

Davis, William Morris

▪ American geographer
born Feb. 12, 1850, Philadelphia
died Feb. 5, 1934, Pasadena, Calif., U.S.

      U.S. geographer, geologist, and meteorologist who founded the science of geomorphology, the study of landforms.

      In 1870 he began three years of service as a meteorologist with the Argentine Meteorological Observatory, Córdoba. In 1876 he obtained a position with Harvard University, where he taught until 1912. His meteorological studies gave rise to Elementary Meteorology (1894), which was used as a college text for more than 30 years.

      In the 1870s his interest turned to the study of landforms, and the publication of “The Rivers and Valleys of Pennsylvania” (1889) laid the foundation for the Davisian system of landscape analysis, perhaps his most significant contribution to physical geography. In this work, he proposed that the physical features of the land are the result of a long, continued, orderly change by means of erosion and that this sequential change through time constituted a cycle of erosion, which he thought vital in understanding present-day landscape and geological history.

      After his retirement in 1912, Davis served as a visiting lecturer to many universities, devoted much time to writing and field studies, and conducted exhaustive studies of coral reefs and coral islands. The results of these studies appeared in The Coral Reef Problem (1928).

      His more than 500 published works include Physical Geography (1898), Geographical Essays (1909), and “Origin of Limestone Caverns” (1930).

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  • Davis , William Morris — (1850–1934) American physical geographer Davis, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was educated at Harvard. He returned to teach there in 1877 after a period as a meteorologist in Argentina and as an assistant with the North Pacific… …   Scientists

  • William Morris Davis — (Philadelphie1850 Pasadena1934) est un géographe américain. Il est souvent considéré comme le « père de la géographie américaine » et connu également comme le père de la géomorphologie[1],[2]. Il est surtout célèbre pour sa théorie du… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Morris Davis — (12 de febrero de 1850 5 de febrero de 1934) fue un geógrafo estadounidense, a menudo llamado el padre de la geografía americana no solo por su trabajo y esfuerzos tendientes a establecer la geografía como disciplina académica sino también por… …   Wikipedia Español

  • William Morris Davis — (February 12 1850 February 5 1934) was an American geographer, geologist, and meteorologist, often called the father of American geography .He was born into a Quaker family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, son of Edward M. Davis and Maria Mott… …   Wikipedia

  • William Morris Davis — (* 12. Februar 1850 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; † 5. Februar 1934 in Pasadena, Kalifornien) war ein US amerikanischer Naturwissenschaftler. Während seiner akademischen Karriere leistete er Bedeutendes auf den Gebieten der Geographie, Geologie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Morris Agency — ist der Name einer US amerikanischen Künstleragentur, die Künstler aus allen Teilen der Unterhaltungsindustrie (u. a. Film, Fernsehen, Musik, Literatur, Bühne) vertritt. Das Unternehmen ist nach eigener Auskunft das größte und am stärksten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Morris (desambiguación) — William Morris puede referise a: William Morris, escritor, diseñador, y activista político británico. William C. Morris, pedagogo y pastor metodista evangélico británico. William Morris Davis, geógrafo estadounidense. William C. Morris, ciudad… …   Wikipedia Español

  • William Morris Davis (congressman) — William Morris Davis (August 16, 1815 ndash;August 5, 1891) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Early lifeWilliam Morris Davis was born in Keene Valley, New York. He moved to Pennsylvania and became a… …   Wikipedia

  • William Morris Agency — Infobox Company company name = William Morris Agency company type = Private company | foundation = New York, New York, USA (1898) location = Beverly Hills, California (USA) key people = Dave Wirtschafter, President Jim Wiatt, CEO Norman Brokaw,… …   Wikipedia

  • Davis — ist ein häufiger Familienname. Er steht zum König David im Alten Testament, im allgemeinen mit einer patronymischen s Bildung zu dem häufigen Vornamen David, als Verkürzung aus Davids. Davis ist auch der Name einer Universitätsstadt in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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