Geikie, Archibald, Sir, 28 December 1835 – 10 November 1924 (Professor of Geology, University of Edinburgh)
Biographical History
Sir Archibald Geikie was born at Edinburgh in 1835, the son of John Stuart Geikie, businessman, and composer, and Isabella Thom. He married Alice Gabrielle Pignatel in 1871. His education was at Black's school, then Edinburgh High School and he showed a great aptitude for study and his interest in science was furthered in the direction of geology when he and his friends discovered fossils at Burdiehouse quarries. Geikie was influenced by scientists such as naturalist John Fleming, to whom he was introduced by his father, and by the many books on geolgy which he consumed, most notably Hugh Miller's Old Red Sandstone.
Geikie's professional life began initially in banking, which he did not enjoy and 1851 saw his a newspaper publication of his Three Weeks in Arran by a Young Geologist, which led to an introduction to Hugh Miller. He also became acquainted with publisher Alexander Macmillan, geologist James David Forbes and Andrew Crombie Ramsay. The banking career abandoned, he matriculated at the University of Edinburgh in 1854 but had to leave the following year for financial reasons. A recommendation by both Miller and Ramsay to Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, newly appointed head of the Geological Survey, secured Geikie a position there as mapping assistant. The following years saw him make the acquaintance of distinguished scientists such as Leonard Horner and Sir Charles Lyell.
His official work was supplemented by research during his holiday time, travelling throughout the British Isles and Europe. 1867 saw him appointed director of the newly created branch, the Scottish Geological Survey. When Murchison founded the chair of geology in 1870 at the University of Edinburgh, Geikie was his choice as professor and he was appointed the following year.
Geikie's field and research work took him all over the British Isles and to many parts of Europe. He successfully combined his duties to both posts as well as devoting time to private research and writing. As well as his scientific writings, Geikie wrote several well-known biographical and historical books including Memoirs of Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1875), Andrew Crombie Ramsay (1895), Edward Forbes (1861), and Founders of Geology (1897). 1924 saw the publication of his own autobiography.
He went on to succeed Sir Andrew Crombie Ramsay as head of the Geological Survey of Great Britain in 1881, which he held until his retiral in 1901. This saw him relocate to London and take a more active role in many scientific societies. Those relating to the Royal Society, he took particular interest in after his retiral, serving as secretary and president.
Noteable Publications
Chronology:
- 1865
- Scenery of Scotland
- Account of the Progress of the Geological Survey in Scotland
- 1873
- Physical Geography
- Colliers of Carrick
- 1875
- Life of Sir Roderick I Murchison, Bart.
- 1877
- Outlines of Field Geology
- Elementary Lessons in Field Geology
- 1882
- Text-book of Geology
- Geological Sketches at Home and Abroad
- 1886
- Classbook of Geology; Illustrated with Woodcuts
- Geology
- 1895
- Memoir of Sir Andrew Crombie Ramsay
- 1897
- Founders of Geology
- Ancient Volcanoes of Great Britain
- 1906
- History of the Geography of Scotland; with Maps and Illustrations
- 1907
- French Impression of Scotland and the Scots in the Year 1784
- 1909
- Charles Darwin as Geologist
- 1916
- Birds of Shakespeare
- 1917
- Annals of the Royal Society Club: the Record of a London Dining-Club in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
Honours, Qualifications and Appointments
Chronology:
- 1861
- Elected Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh
- 1865
- Elected Fellow, Royal Society of London
- 1867
- Appointed Director, Scottish Geological Survey
- 1870
- Appointed First Professor of Geology, the University of Edinburgh
- 1881
- Appointed Head, Geological Survey
- Awarded Murchison Medal
- 1890
- Appointed President, Geological Society
- Knighthood
- 1895
- Awarded Woolaston Meda
- 1896
- Awarded Royal Medal, Royal Society of London
- 1907
- Appointed Knight Commander, Order of the Bath
- 1910
- Appointed President, the Classical Association
Sources
Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Volume II , ( New York, Scribner's, 1981)
Found in 11 Collections and/or Records:
5 Lectures on geology, c1879
Notes and text for five lectures on geology. Sir Archibald Geikie placed civilisation, religion and mythology in the context of geological development, looking at geolgical formations and the processes and materials involved in their creation.
Booklet: 'Geographical Evolution', 1879
Printed booklet by Sir Archibald Geikie, entitled 'Geographical Evolution' and containing the text of a lecture given to the Royal Geographical Society on 24 March 1879 and taken from 'Proceedings of the Royal Society and Monthly Record of Geography', July 1879.
Correspondence of Sir Archibald Geikie: Scandanavian and Danish geologists, 1876-1906
The Correspondence of Sir Archibald Geikie: Scandanavian and Danish geologists sub-series includes letters from:
- Waldemar Christofer Brögger (1889-1902)
- Alfred Gabriel Nathorst (1882-1904)
- Hans Henrik Reusch (1880-1906)
- Jakob Johannes Sederholm (1899-1906)
- Thorvaldur Thoroddsen (1896-1906)
Correspondence: Sir Arthur William Rücker to James Smith, 1863-1900
The Correspondence: Sir Arthur William Rücker to James Smith sub-series consists of:
- 34 letters, alphabetically arranged (1863/1900)
Correspondence: Sir John Stuart Keltie to Herbert Kynaston, 1867-1916
The Correspondence: Sir John Stuart Keltie to Herbert Kynaston sub-series consists of:
- 24 letters, alphabetically arranged (1867-1916)
Correspondence: WA Herdman to Joseph Dalton Hooker, 1872-1900
The Correspondence: WA Herdman to Joseph Dalton Hooker sub-series consists of:
- 33 letters, alphabetically arranged (1872-1900)
Lecture on 'The Materials of the Land', c1879
Lecture on the materials the land is composed of and their origins, including types of rocks and volcanic activity.
Lecture on the 'Volcanic History of Britain', 1886
Notes for 4 lectures on the 'Volcanic History of Britain', given to the Royal Institution in 1886. Sir Archibald Geikie looked at the emergence of types of geological formations against a geological timeframe and how they have been affected by various processes, especially the action of volcanoes and materials produced by them, within the natural world. He used examples from numerous locations from different parts of the British Isles.
Lecture text: 'Lecture I', c1879
Text of lecture looking at geological themes, such as landscape, physical geography, the formation of continents, types of rock and volcanic activity, and relating them to such subjects as the relationship between man and nature, mythology, history and religion.
Lectures on American geological history, c1879
Notes and text for seven lectures looking at the geological history of the American continent, looking at specific locations therein, based partly on results from American survey work. These locations were related to to other places around the world, particularly in Britain and Europe. A variety of geological formations were looked at, including that of the continent itself, considering the materials which make them up and the geological timeframe.