HENRY GANNETT 



613 



lated subjects and did much to enrich the 

 geographical literature of the world. The 

 Government archives contain a large 

 number of reports in connection with his 

 work as a topographer of the Hayden 

 Survey and Geographer of the Geological 

 Survey ; a very large amount of material 

 in connection with the three decennial 

 Federal censuses and the censuses of our 

 Insular possessions and Cuba, and many 

 special reports on special topics. He 

 made constant contributions to scientific 

 magazines and societies, and for 30 years 

 was a contributor to most of the standard 

 encyclopedias published during that pe- 

 riod. He was the author of several books 

 whichi held a prominent place in geo- 

 graphical and statistical sciences. Among 

 these are his "Manual of Topographical 

 Surveys," his "Dictionary of x\ltitudes," 

 and his "Commercial Geography." In 

 1905 he published "The Building of a 

 Nation," and in 1898 his "United States" 

 was published in London as Volume H 

 of "Stanford's Compendium of Geogra- 

 phy and Travel." 



Dr. Gannett received the degree of 

 LL. D. from Bowdoin College in 1899, 

 in recognition of his service to geographic 

 science. He was a corresponding mem- 

 ber of the Royal Geographical Society, 

 of the Scottish Society of Geographers, 

 of the Geographical Society of France, 

 and was the Secretary of the Eighth In- 

 ternational Geographic Congress, held at 

 Washington in 1904. 



Dr. Gannett served as the secretary of 

 the meeting which organized the National 

 Geographic Society and played an im- 

 portant role in its history, culminating in 

 the Chairmanship of its Committee on 

 Research and the Presidency of the So- 

 ciety, both of which positions he was 

 filling at the time of his death. 



It remains to speak of Henry Gannett 

 the man. To those who knew him inti- 

 mately, his personality stands out with 

 rugged lines of strength, yoked with at- 

 tributes which commanded admiration 

 and aiTection. To the world at large his 

 striking traits of character were only 



dimly revealed. It was always difficult, 

 even for his intimates, to induce him to 

 speak of his own work and achieve- 

 ments ; he held a wholly inadequate idea 

 of their permanent importance. He pre- 

 ferred to talk in appreciative terms of 

 what his fellow-scientists were doing; 

 he was modest and unassertive, even to 

 a fault. 



Profound in his convictions on all live 

 questions, he was not given to contro- 

 versy. He had a deep contempt for sci- 

 entific charlatanism and an unerring in- 

 stinct in its detection; but he never 

 rushed to its exposure. His convictions 

 were founded upon the thoroughness of 

 his own researches, which was the key 

 to his methods of work. Between him 

 and those whose ideals were the same, 

 there existed a kinship at once delightful 

 and inspiring. 



His memory will be gratefully cher- 

 ished by many of the scientists now win- 

 ning their spurs at the National Capi- 

 tal for the practical helpfulness which 

 marked their personal relations. Quick 

 to detect misdirected efi^orts in any of 

 his younger associates, he was eager to 

 point out any waste of time and energy, 

 and to reveal out of his long experience 

 the pathway which they could profitably 

 follow. There are many among them 

 who gladly acknowledge that his kindly 

 counsels set their feet in the right ways. 

 He seemed always to be thinking how he 

 could help others — never how he could 

 best help himself. 



Such was Henry Gannett; spotless in 

 private life, gentle, modest, helpful; 

 without jealousies or enmities, eager to 

 befriend, with a consuming love for his 

 great science, an intense desire to pro- 

 mote and perfect it and a tireless industry 

 to that end. There are not many like 

 him in all these respects; and because 

 such men are rare, and because those 

 who knew Henry Gannett best know how 

 rare a character he was, they welcome 

 the opportunity to pay their unstinted 

 tribute to the geographer, the statistician, 

 and the man. 



