William Dawson

Born: October 13, 1820
Died: November 20, 1899
Place of Birth: Pictou, Nova Scotia

• William Dawson is credited as the first Canadian scientist to gain a world-wide reputation.

• As a youth in Pictou, William Dawson would excitedly find rocks and scrap them to reveal fossils.

• He studied geology at the University of Edinburgh for one year but left due to financial problems.

• He became the Superintendent of Education for Nova Scotia in 1850 and helped set up their normal school for teachers.

• In 1854, he was appointed Principal of Montreal's McGill College.

• He remained principal and geology professor as it later became known as McGill University.

• Dawson made numerous classifications and discoveries of fossils and rocks.

• Because of his religious faith, William Dawson opposed the extreme views of evolution.

• He is credited with writing over 150 papers and books dealing with geological data.

• He contributed to setting up the Royal Society of Canada in 1882.

• William Dawson received a knighthood in 1884.

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Last Updated: February 18, 2011
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