Wilmot H. Bradley

Wilmot Hyde Bradley, known as Wilmot H. Bradley, was an American geologist who lived from 1899 to 1979 and held prominent leadership positions across his career in geological science. He served as Chief Geologist of the United States Geological Survey from 1944 to 1959, the tenth to hold that post and, at the time, the longest serving Chief Geologist, and presided over the Geological Society of America in 1965. His primary research addressed the Green River Formation, where he investigated oil shale potential beginning in 1922, work significant enough that the mineral bradleyite was named for him in 1941, and he co-founded and led the Geological Survey Branch of Military Geology in 1943. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1946, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1949 and the American Philosophical Society in 1963, and the Bradley Scholar Program at the United States Geological Survey, supporting emeritus scientists, continues his legacy. He received the Penrose Medal in 1972.