Walter Curran Mendenhall
Encyclopedia
Walter Curran Mendenhall was born on February 20, 1871 in Marlboro, Ohio
. He died on June 2, 1957 in Chevy Chase, Maryland
. Mendenhall was a graduate of Ohio Normal University. He married Alice May Boutelle (born 1876) and had two children, Margaret Boutelle Mendenhall, born in 1916 in New York and Alice Curran Mendenhall, born in 1918 in Washington, DC. Mendenhall was the son of William King Mendenhall (born on December 14, 1836 in Concord, Chester County, Pennsylvania
) and Emma P. Garrigues (born on November 23, 1846 in Newtown
, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
).
to the newly reorganized Federal Power Commission
and then appointed Walter C. Mendenhall to succeed Smith as Director of the US Geological Survey, honoring not only a commitment to appoint the heads of scientific agencies from within the civil service but also a commitment to support basic research. Mendenhall was 59, the same age as Smith. He had joined the Survey in 1894, fresh from Ohio Normal University, and had mapped in the Appalachian coal fields. In 1898, he had been one of the pioneer geologists in Alaska, and in 1903 he had become one of the first ground-water specialists in the Water Resources Branch. An early member of the Land Classification Board, he became its chairman in 1911 and in 1912 the first Chief of the Land Classification Branch. For 8 years before becoming Director, Mendenhall had been the Chief Geologist. Although more than half his Survey career had been in administrative work, he had made notable contributions to the geology of Alaska
, and his study of the principles in ground-water hydrology had helped to establish it as a field of scientific endeavor. Like King, Powell, and Walcott, Mendenhall became a member of the National Academy of Sciences
.
Mendenhall's directorate was pivotal in the history of the Geological Survey. In spite of the difficult times, the depression years, and the beginning of World War II, he encouraged the Survey, as he had the Geologic Branch, to emphasize the necessity of basic research and created an environment in which, in the words of the Engineering and Mining Journal, "scientific research, technical integrity, and practical skill could flourish."
A year after Mendenhall became Director, the Federal budget was sharply cut as the effects of the depression began to be felt. The appropriations were not restored to earlier levels until the late 1930s, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, but the Survey subsisted, even grew, on funds transferred from agencies formed to combat the depression by the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. The Tennessee Valley Authority, established in May 1933, turned to the Survey to meet its need for maps of the entire valley and for a much expanded program of stream gaging throughout the basin.
In 1943, as the Federal Government began planning for the postwar era, Director Mendenhall, who had served 2 years beyond then mandatory retirement age by Presidential exemption, was succeeded by William Embry Wrather.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. He died on June 2, 1957 in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
. Mendenhall was a graduate of Ohio Normal University. He married Alice May Boutelle (born 1876) and had two children, Margaret Boutelle Mendenhall, born in 1916 in New York and Alice Curran Mendenhall, born in 1918 in Washington, DC. Mendenhall was the son of William King Mendenhall (born on December 14, 1836 in Concord, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
) and Emma P. Garrigues (born on November 23, 1846 in Newtown
Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Newtown Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States . Newtown Township is the oldest township in Delaware County. The population was 11,700 as of the 2000 census.-History:...
, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
).
USGS career
In December 1930, Hoover appointed George Otis SmithGeorge Otis Smith
George Otis Smith was an American geologist.-Life and career:Smith was born in Hodgdon, Maine. He graduated from Colby College in 1893 and earned a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1896. He served as director of United States Geological Survey from 1907 to 1922 and 1923 to 1930...
to the newly reorganized Federal Power Commission
Federal Power Commission
The Federal Power Commission was an independent commission of the United States government, originally organized on June 23, 1930, with five members nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate...
and then appointed Walter C. Mendenhall to succeed Smith as Director of the US Geological Survey, honoring not only a commitment to appoint the heads of scientific agencies from within the civil service but also a commitment to support basic research. Mendenhall was 59, the same age as Smith. He had joined the Survey in 1894, fresh from Ohio Normal University, and had mapped in the Appalachian coal fields. In 1898, he had been one of the pioneer geologists in Alaska, and in 1903 he had become one of the first ground-water specialists in the Water Resources Branch. An early member of the Land Classification Board, he became its chairman in 1911 and in 1912 the first Chief of the Land Classification Branch. For 8 years before becoming Director, Mendenhall had been the Chief Geologist. Although more than half his Survey career had been in administrative work, he had made notable contributions to the geology of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and his study of the principles in ground-water hydrology had helped to establish it as a field of scientific endeavor. Like King, Powell, and Walcott, Mendenhall became a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
Mendenhall's directorate was pivotal in the history of the Geological Survey. In spite of the difficult times, the depression years, and the beginning of World War II, he encouraged the Survey, as he had the Geologic Branch, to emphasize the necessity of basic research and created an environment in which, in the words of the Engineering and Mining Journal, "scientific research, technical integrity, and practical skill could flourish."
A year after Mendenhall became Director, the Federal budget was sharply cut as the effects of the depression began to be felt. The appropriations were not restored to earlier levels until the late 1930s, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, but the Survey subsisted, even grew, on funds transferred from agencies formed to combat the depression by the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. The Tennessee Valley Authority, established in May 1933, turned to the Survey to meet its need for maps of the entire valley and for a much expanded program of stream gaging throughout the basin.
In 1943, as the Federal Government began planning for the postwar era, Director Mendenhall, who had served 2 years beyond then mandatory retirement age by Presidential exemption, was succeeded by William Embry Wrather.
Publications
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, "Progress in physics in the nineteenth century" Sun Publishing, c1901.
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, "Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin to Kotzebue Sound Alaska" USGS Professional Paper No.10. (1902)
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, and Schrader, F.C. "The mineral resources of the Mount Wrangell district, Alaska" USGS Professional Paper No.15, (1903)
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, "Development of underground waters in the eastern coastal plain region of southern California" USGS Water Supply Paper No.137. (1905)
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, "Development of underground waters in the central coastal plain region of Southern California" USGS Water Supply Paper No.138. (1905)
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, "Development of underground waters in the western coastal-plain region of southern California" USGS Water Supply Paper No.139. (1905)
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, "Geology of the Central Copper River region, Alaska" USGS Professional Paper No.41, (1905)
- Leighton, Morris Morgan, "Walter Curran Mendenhall (1871-1957)" AAPG Bulletin; March 1958; v. 42; no. 3; p. 682-690
- Deming, D. "Walter Curran Mendenhall: Quaker scientist" Ground Water. 2004 May-Jun;42(3):465-71.
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, "Some desert watering places in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada" USGS Water Supply Paper No.224. (1909)
- Mendenhall, Walter Curran, "Ground waters of the Indio region, California, with a sketch of the Colorado desert" USGS Water Supply Paper No.225. (1909)
External links
- Portrait of Walter Curran Mendenhall via the US Geological Survey
- Photograph of Walter Curran Mendenhall via the US Geological Survey
