McGill Library
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Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
De La Beche, Henry T. (Henry Thomas), 1796-1855
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Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1796-1855
History
Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche was born on February 10, 1796, in London, England.
He was an English geologist, paleontologist, and author. In 1810, he entered the Royal Military College at Great Marlowe where his artistic talent of sketching was cultivated and later used in his geological work. In 1817, he joined the Geological Society of London and became an avid fossil collector and illustrator. He served as its president from 1848 to 1849. In 1835, he became the first director of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, who helped pioneer early geological survey methods. He was the first president of the Paleontographical Society. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Geological Museum and the Royal School of Mines in London. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1819 and knighted in 1848. His “Geological Manual” (1831), “Researches in Theoretical Geology” (1834), and “How to Observe in Geology” (1835) are important contributions to geological literature.
In 1817, he married Letitia Whyte (1801–1844). He died on April 13, 1855, in London, England.