John James Abert
Encyclopedia
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
for 32 years, during which time he organized the mapping of the American West.
Abert was born in 1788 in Shepherdstown
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located along the Potomac River. It is the oldest town in the state, having been chartered in 1762 by Colonial Virginia's General Assembly. Since 1863, Shepherdstown has been in West Virginia, and is the oldest town in...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(now West Virginia). Abert graduated from West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1811. After leaving West Point, he married Ellen Matlack Stretch. He rejoined the army as a topographical engineer in 1814. His son, James William Abert
James William Abert
James William Abert was an American soldier, explorer, ornithologist and topographical artist.-Early life:...
, who also became a member of the corps, was born in 1820. In 1829 John Abert was promoted to the leadership of the corps. Officers working under him were responsible for the exploration and mapping of the lands west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1845.
Abert Rim
Abert Rim
Abert Rim in Lake County, Oregon is one of the highest fault scarps in the United States. It rises 760 meters above the valley floor, finishing with an 250-meter sheer-sided basalt cap. It was formed during the Miocene epoch. At that time basaltic flood lavas covered much of eastern Oregon...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
was named after him, as was Abert's Squirrel
Abert's Squirrel
Abert's squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus endemic to the Rocky Mountains from United States to Mexico, with concentrations found in Arizona, The Grand Canyon, New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado.-Etymology:The Abert's squirrel is named after Colonel John James Abert, an American...
.