Gould, Laurence McKinley, 1896-1995
Dates
- Existence: 1896 - 1995
Biography
Laurence McKinley Gould was born August 22, 1896, in Lacota, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS degree in geology in 1921, after serving in the US Army during World War I. He received his MA in 1923, and his D.Sc in 1925. In the summer of 1926, Gould undertook his first trip to the Arctic, serving as assistant director and geologist with the University of Michigan Greenland Expedition. The following summer he was geographer and topologist for George P. Putnam's expedition to survey the coast of Baffin Island in Arctic Canada. During 1928 to 1930 he accompanied Admiral Richard E. Byrd on Byrd's first expedition to Antarctica, serving as the expedition's chief scientist and second-in-command. In the months and years after returning from Antarctica, Gould traveled around the country giving lectures on the experience. His 1931 book "Cold: the Record of an Antarctic Sledge Journey" described the dog-sledge trek into the Queen Maud Mountains he undertook during the expedition. He also published several scientific articles about the findings of the Byrd expedition. In 1932, Gould was hired as professor and chairman of the geology department of Carleton College and was offered the presidency of the college in 1945, a position he held until his retirement in 1962. Gould died on June 21, 1995.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Laurence Gould diary and correspondence
Laurence McKinley Gould (1896-1995), polar explorer, educator and geologist. Consist of a diary of his service as second-in-command of the First Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1928-1930), as well as correspondence with Byrd and others relating to Antarctic exploration.