Matthew Fontaine Maury
Matthew Fontaine Maury (January 14, 1806 - February 1, 1873) has been hailed as, among other names, the “Scientist of the Seas” for his contributions to understanding ocean navigation in the mid-19th century.
In the mid 19th century Maury supported slavery. [1] Maury Hall at the University of Virginia is named for him.
Born January 14, 1806, Spotsylvania county, Va., U.S.; died February 1, 1873, Lexington, Va., U.S. naval officer, pioneer hydrographer, and one of the founders of oceanography. The noted Virginian was also known as the "Pathfinder of the Seas." [2]
Maury entered the navy in 1825 as a midshipman, circumnavigated the globe (1826–30), and in 1836 was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. In 1855 Maury published the first modern oceanographic text, The Physical Geography of the Sea. In that year his Sailing Directions included a section recommending that eastbound and westbound steamers travel in separate lanes in the North Atlantic to prevent collisions. [3]
Civil War
Maury was neither a slave-owner nor a proponent of slavery. In the early 1850s, he had studied an idea to resettle slaves from the U.S. to the Brazilian Amazon as a way to gradually phase-out slavery in the U.S. With the 1861 outbreak of the Civil War, he declined to fight against his native Virginia, Maury resigned his post and joined the Confederate Navy, initially to direct coastal and river defenses and develop naval mine technologies to use against the Union. [4]
Namesakes
- Maury Hall at the University of Virginia
- Maury Hall has housed the Naval ROTC since its opening. Completed in 1942, the building is named for Matthew Fontaine Maury, considered by many as the father of modern oceanography and his scientific contributions revolutionized ocean travel. Construction of Maury Hall was funded largely by a Work Projects Administration (WPA) grant. The University recommends renaming Maury Hall in honor of John William Warner. [5] Warner enlisting in the Navy in early 1945 at the age of 17, he served stateside during World War II. Mr. Warner was appointed Under Secretary of the Navy by President Richard M. Nixon and sworn in on February 11, 1969.
- Maury Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
- Maury Hall is home to the academy’s division of Weapons and Systems Engineering; named after Matthew Fontaine Maury, a leader in the fields of naval meteorology and navigation. He headed the coast, harbor and river defenses for the Confederate Navy.
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References
- ↑ Web. II.B.1. Renaming Maury Hall as John W. Warner Hall, Staff Report, University of Virginia, retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ↑ https://blogs.loc.gov/maps/2018/07/scientist-of-the-seas-the-legacy-of-matthew-fontaine-maury/
- ↑ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Matthew-Fontaine-Maury
- ↑ https://blogs.loc.gov/maps/2018/07/scientist-of-the-seas-the-legacy-of-matthew-fontaine-maury/
- ↑ Web. II.B.1. Renaming Maury Hall as John W. Warner Hall, Staff Report, University of Virginia, retrieved March 2, 2022.