Isaiah Bowman
Encyclopedia
Isaiah Bowman, AB, Ph. D. (26 December 1878, Waterloo, Ontario
, Canada
– 6 January 1950, Baltimore, United States
) was an American
geographer. He was educated at Harvard
under forceful geologist and geographer William Morris Davis, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, 1850 - Pasadena
, California
, 1934), and Yale
where he taught from 1905 to 1915, doing meanwhile 3 trips to South America, (1907, 1911, and 1913) after which time he became the director of the American Geographical Society
, a position he held for 20 years from 1915 to 1935. He was chief territorial adviser to President Woodrow Wilson
at the Versailles conference and served the Department of State as territorial adviser during World War II
Some of his more notable works include:
In 1916 Bowman became director of the American Geographical Society, becoming chief territorial specialist of the American delegation to the Paris Peace Conference
in 1918-1919 at Versailles
, France
.
In 1916 he became associate editor of the Geographical Review
. He was associate editor of the Journal of Geography in 1918-19 and editor in 1919-20. In 1921 he became a director of the newly formed Council of Foreign Relations. Bowman served as President of Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore
, Maryland
from 1935 to 1948. Before and during World War II he served on the Council of Foreign Relation's War and Peace Studies
as chairman of its territorial group. From 1945 to 1949 he was a CFR vice-president.
has helped launch international collaborative research projects, called the Bowman Expeditions in Bowman's honor, in part to advise the U.S. government concerning future trends in the human
terrain
of other countries. The first project, in Mexico, is called Mexico Indigena
, and has generated considerable controversy, including a public statement from the Union of Organizations of the Sierra Juarez of Oaxaca (UNOSJO) denouncing Mexico Indigena's lack of full disclosure regarding funding procured from the DOD
, via the U.S. Army's Foreign Military Services Office, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas
http://elenemigocomun.net/2059.
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
– 6 January 1950, Baltimore, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geographer. He was educated at Harvard
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...
under forceful geologist and geographer William Morris Davis, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, 1850 - Pasadena
Pasadena
-Places:Places in Australia:*Pasadena, South Australia, a suburb of AdelaidePlaces in Canada:*Pasadena, NewfoundlandPlaces in the United States:*Pasadena, California*South Pasadena, California*South Pasadena, Florida*Pasadena, Maryland...
, California
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...
, 1934), and Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he taught from 1905 to 1915, doing meanwhile 3 trips to South America, (1907, 1911, and 1913) after which time he became the director of the American Geographical Society
American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
, a position he held for 20 years from 1915 to 1935. He was chief territorial adviser to President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
at the Versailles conference and served the Department of State as territorial adviser during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Some of his more notable works include:
- Forest Physiography (1911)
- Well-Drilling Methods (1911)
- South America (1915)
- The Andes of Southern Peru (1916)
- The New World-Problems in Political Geography (1921). Many reprints.
- Desert Trails of Atacama(1924).
- The Pioneer Fringe (1931)
- Main Editor of Limits of Land Sttlement, (1937)
In 1916 Bowman became director of the American Geographical Society, becoming chief territorial specialist of the American delegation to the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference may refer to:* Paris Peace Conference, 1919, negotiated the treaties ending World War I* Paris Peace Conference, 1946 July 29 to October 15, 1946See also...
in 1918-1919 at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1916 he became associate editor of the Geographical Review
Geographical Review
The Geographical Review is an academic journal of the American Geographical Society. Currently published quarterly in January, April, July, and October. The periodicals are devoted exclusively to geography and contain original articles on all aspects of the discipline. The "Geographical Record"...
. He was associate editor of the Journal of Geography in 1918-19 and editor in 1919-20. In 1921 he became a director of the newly formed Council of Foreign Relations. Bowman served as President of Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
from 1935 to 1948. Before and during World War II he served on the Council of Foreign Relation's War and Peace Studies
War and Peace Studies
War and Peace Studies was a project carried out by the Council on Foreign Relations between 1939 and 1945 before and during American involvement in World War II. It was intended to advise the U.S. Government on conduct in the war and the subsequent peace....
as chairman of its territorial group. From 1945 to 1949 he was a CFR vice-president.
Bowman Expeditions
Beginning in 2005, the American Geographical SocietyAmerican Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
has helped launch international collaborative research projects, called the Bowman Expeditions in Bowman's honor, in part to advise the U.S. government concerning future trends in the human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
terrain
Terrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
of other countries. The first project, in Mexico, is called Mexico Indigena
México Indígena
México Indígena is the controversial prototype project of the Bowman Expeditions, an initiative of the American Geographical Society to organize international teams of geographers to research potentially important place-based issues and restore the role of geographers as advisers to U.S. government...
, and has generated considerable controversy, including a public statement from the Union of Organizations of the Sierra Juarez of Oaxaca (UNOSJO) denouncing Mexico Indigena's lack of full disclosure regarding funding procured from the DOD
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, via the U.S. Army's Foreign Military Services Office, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
http://elenemigocomun.net/2059.
Further reading
- John Kirtland Wright, Geography in the Making: The American Geographical Society, 1851-1951 (1952), contains an analysis of Bowman's work for the society. (ISBN: 0208018441 / 0-208-01844-1)
- John K. Wright and George F. Carter, Isaiah Bowman, in the National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoirs, vol. 33 (1959), for the main events of his life and comments on his career5.
- Martin, Geoffrey J. The Life and Thought of Isaiah Bowman.Hamden, Connecticut, Archon Books, 1980. (ISBN: 0208018441 / 0-208-01844-1)
- Neil Smith, American Empire: Roosevelt's Geographer and the Prelude to Globalization, Berkeley, CA, University of California Press, (2003), XVII + 570 pages, ISBN 0-520-23027-2.
External Links
- Isaiah Bowman's http://collections.lib.uwm.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISORESTMP=results.php&CISOVIEWTMP=item_viewer.php&CISOMODE=thumb&CISOGRID=thumbnail%2CA%2C1%3Btitle%2CA%2C1%3Bsubjec%2CA%2C0%3Bdescri%2C200%2C0%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%3B20%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOBIB=title%2CA%2C1%2CN%3Bsubjec%2CA%2C0%2CN%3Bdescri%2C200%2C0%2CN%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%2CN%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%2CN%3B20%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOTHUMB=20+%284x5%29%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOTITLE=20%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOHIERA=20%3Bsubjec%2Ctitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOSUPPRESS=0&CISOBOX1=isaiah+bowman&CISOROOT=all&submit=searchphotographs] held at the American Geographical Society Library, UW Milwaukee