Biographical Memoirs Volume 44 (1974) / Chapter Skim
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3. Donnel Foster Hewett
3. Donnel Foster Hewett
Pages 113-129
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From page 115... ...
Hewett and Hetty Barclay Foster Hewett. Both his father and his paternal grandfather were highly successful mining engineers; his maternal grandfather had served as a Congressman from Pennsylvania and had once been a candidate for the governorship.
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From page 116... ...
This firm was at that time one of the largest consulting organizations in the mineral industries and the twenty-two-year-old Hewett, fresh from the classroom, was given flattering responsibilities from the beginning—responsibilities he quickly showed he was fully able to meet. Between 1903 and 1909 Hewett examined, mapped, and reported on scores of mines in widely scattered parts of the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Peru.
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From page 117... ...
In 1909 he enrolled in the Yale Graduate School to study with his old friend and counselor, Joseph Barrell. Although Hewett had originally planned to remain for only one year, a gift from the now prosperous Vanadium Corporation of America in acknowledgment of his work at Mina Ragra enabled him to finance a second year and thus to complete the residence requirements for the doctorate.
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From page 118... ...
this project, under various titles, was to occupy him as long as he could do strenuous fieldwork; his other main scientific interest, the study of the emplacement of manganese, could be pursued even after arduous fieldwork was no longer possible. Hewett began his Great Basin work in the Goodsprings mining district, in southern Nevada.
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From page 119... ...
Hewett's other main geological interest was the study of manganese mineralogy and ore deposition, a field in which he came generally to be recognized as the world leader. His interest in this subject began early, but was strengthened almost to the point of total absorption by his assignment during World War I to the evaluation of manganese deposits within the United States.
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From page 120... ...
Paul Haertl, Managing Director of Bad-Kissingen, who had been brought over to advise on the development of both Saratoga Hot Springs in New York and Warm Springs, Georgia, insisted that the value of these springs largely depended on the fact that the gas bubbles contained were cubical rather than spherical and thus more stimulating to the skin! With this sort of advice to the authorities of the Warm Springs Foundation, it can be readily understood that Hewett had to walk warily; he did so, and though his report must clearly have been disappointing to the enthusiasts operating the resort, it was never challenged.
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From page 121... ...
There can be little doubt that he was one of the dozen or so men best informed as to the mineral industry who by dint of constant pressure finally persuaded the administration to prepare for the war by building, up supplies of "strategic minerals"—minerals whose domestic production is too low to support the needs of industry. He was able to get some support for this program as early as 1938, but full recognition of the crisis and the development of a strong Strategic Minerals Program did not begin until 1940.
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From page 122... ...
Hewett's skill in chemistry and mineralogy was dramatically demonstrated for the second time— and at an age approaching, that of full retirement for most men. But in 1951, when Foster reached the statutory retirement age, an unsolicited executive order returned him to active duty without terminal date; Foster was able to continue for many years his productive scientific career.
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From page 123... ...
In any company Foster Hewett was a leader. His impress on the work of the Geological Survey was surely greater than that of any of his contemporaries; the present prestige of the organization is in large part due to his foresight in the matter of strategic minerals and the sound basis he then established for a wide spectrum of work.
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From page 124... ...
American Chemical Society National Academy of Sciences, elected 1937 American Academy of Arts and Sciences American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers American Association for the Advancement of Science Tau Beta Pi Sigma Xi Phi Beta Kappa AWARDS AND MEDALS Distinguished Service Medal, United States Department of the Interior, 1952 Award, American Academy of Achievement, 1965 Honorary Doctor of Science, Lehigh University, 1942 Penrose Gold Medal, Society of Economic Geologists, 1956 Penrose Medal, Geological Society of America, 1964 Research Associate, California Institute of Technology, 1947-1954 Research Associate, Stanford University, 1957-1971
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From page 125... ...
Pap. United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, Professional Papers 1912 A graphic method for dips on geologic sections.
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From page 126... ...
656, 192 pp. The origin of bentonite and the geologic range of related materials in the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming.
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From page 127... ...
Bedded deposits of manganese oxides near Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada University Bulletin, Vol.
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From page 128... ...
1933 Sedimentary manganese deposits. In: Ore Deposits of the Western States (Lindgren Volume)
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From page 129... ...
15-18. 1955 Structural features of the Moj eve Desert region, California.
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