Elisha Mitchell
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Portrait of Rev. Elisha Mitchell, 1858
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| Born | August 19, 1793 Washington, Connecticut, USA |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Yancey County, North Carolina, USA |
| Residence | Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Chemist and Geologist |
| Institutions | University of North Carolina |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Known for | Proving Mt. Mitchell was highest mountain east of the Rockies Acting President of the University of North Carolina |
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Elisha Mitchell (August 19, 1793 – June 27, 1857) was an American educator, geologist and Presbyterian minister. His geological studies led to the identification of North Carolina's Mount Mitchell as the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.
Contents
Early life
Elisha Mitchell was born August 19, 1793, in Washington, Connecticut. He was graduated from Yale University in 1813, where he studied under chemist Benjamin Silliman, whose courses would shape his own teaching career.[1]
Mitchell at the University of North Carolina
Mitchell began his career as a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1818, teaching math and natural philosophy. In 1825, he began teaching geology - the field with which he would be primarily associated for the rest of his life.[2] In addition to teaching, Mitchell also served as the university's bursar, accountant, and acting president at various times; he also led chapel services, as he had been ordained by the Presbytery of Orange in Hillsborough, NC, in 1821.[2]
Discovery of "Mount Mitchell"
Mitchell completed a geographical survey of North Carolina in 1828 and observed a peak in the Black Mountains he believed to be higher than Grandfather Mountain, thought to be the highest in the region at that time.[3] In 1835, he first measured the height of this mountain, and through subsequent measurements in 1838 and 1844, proved it was higher than New Hampshire's Mount Washington.[2]
Findings challenged
Elisha Mitchell fell to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls in 1857, having returned to verify his earlier measurements, which had been challenged by state senator Thomas Clingman, a former student of Mitchell's.[3] He was originally buried in Asheville, but was reinterred in a tomb on the mountain in 1858.[2] In 1881-82 the U.S. Geological Survey upheld Mitchell's measurements and officially named his peak Mt. Mitchell. At 6,684 feet (2,037 m) high, Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi River.
The Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, published by the North Carolina Academy of Science, was founded in his honor in 1883.
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Watson, Elgiva D. "Elisha Mitchell." Originally published in the "Dictionary of North Carolina Biography," edited by William S. Powell. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1991. Available at:http://docsouth.unc.edu/browse/bios/pn0001194_bio.html
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mewborn, Suzanne. "Elisha Mitchell and his mountain." Originally published in "Tar Heel Junior Historian," volume 46, no.1 (Fall 2006). Published by the North Carolina Museum of History. Available at: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newnation/4391
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elisha Mitchell. |
- Inventory of the Elisha Mitchell Papers, 1816-1905
- "On the Character and Origin of the Low Country of North Carolina," by Elisha Mitchell. From volume 13 of The American Journal of Science and Arts, January 1828.
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