12 SEVENTH REPORT. 



WILLIAM HENRY PETTEE. 



In preparing a memorial of William Henry Pettee, for so many years 

 a leading member of the facnlty of the University^ of Michigan, 1 'shall 

 have to draw largely iipon the memorials prepared by those older than 

 I who had seen more of him.^ My own acquaintance with him dates 

 only from 15 years ago, Avlien I met him (during the course of one of his 

 tours examining high schools) in Houghton. We talked over the College 

 of Mines in Houghton, which was then less than five years old, and his 

 unselfish point of view struck me very strongly at the time. 



In these days when temptation to originality even in error is so strong 

 and ambition for fame as dominant among scientific men as in other 

 walks of life and perhaps more so, it is well that we should commemo- 

 rate in a way that will make his example tell upon us and upon others 

 the life of one who valued accuracy and correctness above originality 

 and duty above fame and who illustrated the value of broad general 

 culture as well as special knowledge. 



He was born January 13, 1838, at Newton Upper Falls, near Boston, 

 Mass., the son of Otis and Matilda (Sherman) Pettee, his father being a 

 cotton manufacturer. He was not very robust and entered college at 

 19 years of age. He took high rank in the course which was at that 

 time mainly made up of required work and largely classical. He de- 

 livered a Latin oration in his junior year and was graduated in 1861. 

 He continued in connection with the University, studying in the engi- 

 neering subjects in the Lawrence Scientific School, and in the college, 

 where he was also assistant in chemistry. He took his A. M. in 1861. 

 He was chemical assistant from 1863-65, the subject which he had elected 

 in his junior year. He studied in Europe, mainly in Freiberg, from 

 1865-68, and returned to Harvard, being appointed instructor in mining 

 in 1869 and assistant professor in J 871. He married July 8, 1874, a 

 fellow townswomau, Sybil Anna Clarke. In 1875 he was appointed pro- 

 fessor of mineralogy, economic geology and mining engineering at the 

 University of Michigan, and he continued to hold this chair until his 

 death, although the growth of the College of Mines had relieved him of 

 some part of the duty which would naturally fall to the incumbent of 

 this chair, and he had become editor of the University publications, con- 

 fidential advisor of the Regents, secretary of the University senate, and 

 leading member of the faculty in all University problems. 



His first professional field work seems to have been in 1869 in the south 

 part of Colorado, and from 1871 to -80 he was engaged in connection 

 with the California State Geological Survey under J. D. Whitney. From 

 this work came two publications, "Contributions to Barometric Hypsome- 

 try," with tables for use in California (1874 — a supplement of addi- 

 tions was added in 1878), and the investigations of auriferous gravels, 

 which is published as an appendix to Whitney's report. These publi- 



1 Science Julv 8. 1904, p. 58. Transactions American Institute of Mining Engineers, Biographical 

 Notice by R. W. Raymond, 1904. 



