Charles F. Hoffmann
Encyclopedia
Charles Frederick Hoffmann (1838–1913) was a German-American topographer working in California
U.S.
from 1860 to 1880.
, Germany
, 1838. After receiving an education in engineering, he emigrated to America. In 1857 he was topographer for Frederick Lander’s survey to the Rocky Mountains. He came to California in 1858. He was recruited by Josiah Whitney
to join the California Geological Survey
because of his valuable skill as a topographer. Hoffmann is largely responsible for introducing topography
to the United States. He helped explore the Sierra Nevada of California, from 1860 through 1870, and 1873 through 1874. As a member of the Survey, Hoffmann created the official maps from the expeditions made by the survey team. Hoffmann achieved a number of first ascent
s in the Sierra Nevada:
In 1870 he married Lucy Mayotta Browne. In 1871 and 1872 he was Professor of Topographical Engineering at Harvard University
. Later, he was a mining engineer at Virginia City, Nevada
, San Francisco, California
, and Mexico
.
Charles Hoffmann died 1913 in Oakland, California
.
, a high peak in central Yosemite National Park
, is named after him.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1860 to 1880.
Life
Hoffmann was born in FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 1838. After receiving an education in engineering, he emigrated to America. In 1857 he was topographer for Frederick Lander’s survey to the Rocky Mountains. He came to California in 1858. He was recruited by Josiah Whitney
Josiah Whitney
Josiah Dwight Whitney was an American geologist, professor of geology at Harvard University , and chief of the California Geological Survey...
to join the California Geological Survey
California Geological Survey
Although it was not until 1880 that the California State Mining Bureau, predecessor to the California Geological Survey, was established, the "roots" of California's state geological survey date to an earlier time...
because of his valuable skill as a topographer. Hoffmann is largely responsible for introducing topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
to the United States. He helped explore the Sierra Nevada of California, from 1860 through 1870, and 1873 through 1874. As a member of the Survey, Hoffmann created the official maps from the expeditions made by the survey team. Hoffmann achieved a number of first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
s in the Sierra Nevada:
- Mount BrewerMount BrewerMount Brewer is on the Great Western Divide, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada in California. It is located in Kings Canyon National Park,The peak was named for William Henry Brewer who worked on the first California Geological Survey and was the first Chair of Agriculture at Yale University's...
- Mount DanaMount DanaMount Dana is a mountain on the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park in the U.S. state of California. At an elevation of , it is the second highest mountain in Yosemite . Mount Dana is the highest peak in Yosemite that is a simple hike to the summit...
- Mount Silliman
- Tower PeakTower PeakTower Peak is a peak, 855 m, whose rock exposure stands out clearly from an evenly contoured icefield 5 nautical miles northwest of Longing Gap, in northern Graham Land. First charted and given this descriptive name by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey , 1945....
In 1870 he married Lucy Mayotta Browne. In 1871 and 1872 he was Professor of Topographical Engineering at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Later, he was a mining engineer at Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 855 at the 2010 Census.- History :...
, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Charles Hoffmann died 1913 in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
.
Legacy
Mount HoffmannMount Hoffmann
Mount Hoffmann is a prominent peak in northeastern Mariposa County in the center of Yosemite National Park, California, United States. It rises above May Lake and is a day hike of from Tioga Pass Road. The mountain is named after the cartographer Charles F. Hoffmann, who was part of the...
, a high peak in central Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
, is named after him.
External references
- http://www.yosemite.ca.us/history/up_and_down_california/2-1.html#page_132Biographical sketch by Francis P. FarquharFrancis P. FarquharFrancis Peloubet Farquhar graduated from Harvard and came to San Francisco to set up in practice as a Certified Public Accountant...
, ed., in Up and Down California] - Charles F. Hoffmann, "Notes on Hetch-Hetchy Valley," Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco: CAS, 1868), ser. 1, 3:5