George Gibbs (mineralogist)
George Gibbs | |
---|---|
Ravenswood, New York , U.S. | |
Occupation | Mineralogist |
Spouse |
Laura Wolcott
(after 1810) |
Children | 7, including George, Oliver and Alfred |
Parent(s) | George Gibbs Mary Channing Gibbs |
George Gibbs (January 7, 1776 – August 6, 1833) was an American
Early life
George Gibbs was born in
Career
In 1796, Gibbs was sent by his father to study the mercantile business in Canton, China. During his travels, Gibbs studied in Europe and went to Lausanne and Paris. In Paris, he studied mineralogy with Heinrich von Struve. Gibbs was fascinated by minerals and became friends with prominent leading European mineralogists: Francois Gillet de Laumont, Jean-François d'Aubuisson de Voisins, and Jacques Louis, Comte de Bournon.[2]
He spent several years as a young man traveling abroad, and devoted much of his time and wealth to the collection of minerals. On his return to Rhode Island, he brought with him the most extensive and valuable collection ever seen in the United States up to that time. It consisted of the collection of Jean Gigot d'Orcy (1733–1793), containing 4,000 specimens, and that of Gregoire de Razumowsky, containing 6,000 specimens. These, with the results of his own gathering, formed a cabinet of more than 20,000 minerals. The collection was first exhibited in Newport.
In 1805, Gibbs' collection grew too large and he stored it in a house near his Newport mansion. The same year, the Governor of Rhode Island appointed Gibbs as "
In 1822 he was elected vice-president of the
Gibbs may have been responsible for the first path to the summit of
Personal life
He married Laura Wolcott on December 27, 1810. She was the daughter of
References
- ^ Mindat.org - Gibbsite
- ^ "The Mineralogical Record - Label Archive". www.minrec.org. Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter G" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-62584-533-7.
- ^ "Litchfield Ledger - Student". www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org. Retrieved 2016-08-16.