Henry Grinnell
Henry Grinnell (born February 18, 1799 in New Bedford , Massachusetts , † June 30, 1874 in New York ) was an American shipowner and merchant.
Life
In 1828 Grinnell moved from Massachusetts to New York, where he achieved great wealth and reputation as a shipowner and merchant. He was best known for his generous support of polar research . He took a lively interest in scientific endeavors and tried to encourage them as much as possible. So he equipped the ship at his own expense, which went out in 1850 under Edwin De Haven's command to search for the missing polar explorer John Franklin (so-called 1st Grinnell Expedition ). To a large extent, he also financed the Elisha Kent Kanes expedition, which started for the same reason, between 1853 and 1855 (so-called 2nd Grinnell Expedition ). He was also the main sponsor of the Arctic venture of polar explorer Isaac Israel Hayes in 1860 and the "Polaris" expedition in 1871 by Charles Francis Hall .
Grinnell was a founding member and from 1852 to 1853 President of the American Geographical Society and its Vice President from 1854 to 1872. In 1853 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society .
Today geographical names like the Grinnell Peninsula (lat. 75 ° 24 ′ 21 ″) for the northwestern part of the Devon Island and Grinnell Land for the central part of the Ellesmere Island remind of him.
literature
- Grinnell, Henry . In: James Grant Wilson, John Fiske (Eds.): Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography . tape 3 : Grinnell - Lockwood . D. Appleton and Company, New York 1887, p. 1 (English, text archive - Internet Archive - additional entry at the brother).
Web links
- Henry Grinnell in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Captain Hall's Polaris Expedition Roster, 1871
- ↑ Timeline of the American Geographical Society ( Memento of the original from October 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 82 kB), accessed on July 12, 2013 (English)
- ^ Member History: Henry Grinnell. American Philosophical Society, accessed September 15, 2018 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Grinnell, Henry |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American shipowner and merchant |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 18, 1799 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New Bedford , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 30, 1874 |
| Place of death | new York |