William Edmond Logan

William Edmond Logan was a Scottish-Canadian geologist born April 20, 1798, in Montreal, Lower Canada, who died June 22, 1875, at Castell Malgwyn, Wales, and who founded and directed the Geological Survey of Canada from 1842 to 1869. His early search for coal deposits across Canada found none, a negative finding that influenced later Confederation-era discussions of the country economic prospects, and under his direction the Survey grew into a comprehensive scientific organization that established Canada first public geological museum in 1856 and identified major geological divisions of the country including the Precambrian Shield. He published the 983-page Geology of Canada in 1863, promoted Canadian minerals at international exhibitions including the 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition, and founded the Geological Survey of Newfoundland in 1864. He received the Legion of Honour from Napoleon III in 1855, was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1856, received the Wollaston Medal in 1856, and received the Royal Medal in 1867.