MAWSON, Sir DOUGLAS (1882-1958), geologist and explorer, was born on 5 May 1882
at Shipley, Yorkshire, England, second son of Robert Ellis Mawson, a cloth
merchant from a farming background, and his wife Margaret Ann, née Moore, from the
Isle of Man. The family moved to Rooty Hill, near Sydney, in 1884. Douglas was
educated at Rooty Hill and at Fort Street Model School in Sydney. At the
University of Sydney in 1899-1901 he studied mining engineering and graduated B.E.
in 1902 when he was appointed as a junior demonstrator in chemistry. Next year he
took six months leave to make a geological survey of the New Hebrides (Vanuatu),
under the auspices of Captain E. G. Rason, the British deputy commissioner there.
This was Mawson's introduction to scientific exploration, carried out in rugged
country with dense jungle and among hostile inhabitants. His report, 'The geology
of the New Hebrides', was one of the first major works on the geology of
Melanesia.
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Australian Dictionary of Biography
(Sir) Douglas Mawson was leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14 and the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition 1929-31. He was Lecturer in Geology, University of Adelaide 1905-20 and Professor of Geology and Mineralogy 1921-52.
Kt cr 1914, OBE. Antarctic medal, Royal Geographical Society 1909, Founder's medal, Royal Geographical Society 1915, King's Polar medal (two bars), Gold medal, American Geographical Society, Gold medal, Chicago Geographical Society, Gold medal, Paris Geographical Society, Bigsby Medal, Geological Society of London 1919, Fellow, Royal Society 1923, Nachtigal gold medal, Gessellschaft für Erdkunde 1928, Mueller medal, ANZAAS 1930, Sir Joseph Verco medal, Royal Society of South Australia 1931, Founder's medal, Royal Geographical Society of Australia (Queensland) 1931, Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Science 1954. Commemorated by Mawson base, Antarctica, Mawson Laboratories, University of Adelaide and Mawson Lecture, Australian Academy of Science.
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1901
Education - Bachelor of Engineering (BE) completed at the University of Sydney
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1903
Career position - Expedition to the New Hebrides
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1904
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) completed at the University of Sydney
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1905 - 1920
Career position - Lecturer in Mineralogy and Petrology at the University of Adelaide
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1907 - 1909
Career position - Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica
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1909
Education - Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the University of Adelaide
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1911 - 1914
Career position - Commander of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition
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1916 - 1919
Career position - War service in Europe
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1920
Career position - President of the Geography Section, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS)
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1920 - 1952
Career position - Professor of Geology at the University of Adelaide
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1923 - 1924
Career position - President of the Royal Society of South Australia
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1926
Career position - President of the Geology Section of ANZAAS
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1929 - 1931
Career position - Commander of the British Australian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE)
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1932 - 1937
Career position - President of ANZAAS
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1952
Education - Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the University of Sydney
View the full record at
Encyclopedia of Australian Science
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