James M. Safford

James Merrill Safford (1822–1907) was an American geologist, chemist and university professor.

James M. Safford
Born	James Merrill Safford August 13, 1822 Putnam, Ohio
Died	July 2, 1907 (aged 84) Dallas, Texas
Education	Yale University
Occupation	Geologist Chemist University professor
Spouse(s)	Catherine K. Owens ​ (m. 1859)​
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Biography

Early life

James M. Safford was born in Putnam, Ohio on August 13, 1822.[1][2] He received an M.D. and a PhD.[3] He was trained as a chemist at Yale University.[4]

He married Catherine K. Owens in 1859, and they had two children.[2]

Career

Safford taught at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee from 1848 to 1873.[4][5] He served as a Professor of Mineralogy, Botany, and Economical Geology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1875 to 1900.[3][4] He was a Presbyterian, and often started his lessons with a prayer.[4]

He served on the Tennessee Board of Health.[4] Additionally, he acted as a chemist for the Tennessee Bureau of Agriculture in the 1870s and 1880s.[4]

He published fifty-four books, reports, and maps.[4]

Death

He died in Dallas on July 2, 1907.[1][6]

Bibliography

• James M. Safford, The Silurian basin of Middle Tennessee, with notices of the strata surrounding it. (New Haven, Printed by B.L. Hamlen, 1851).[7]
• James M. Safford, A geological report of the coal and oil lands in Kentucky (Louisville, Kentucky: J.P. Morton & co., 1865).[8]
• James M. Safford, Geology of Tennessee (Nashville, Tennessee: S. C. Mercer, 1869.).[9]
• James M. Safford and Joseph Buckner Killebrew, The elements of the geology of Tennessee. Prepared for the use of the school of Tennessee, and for all persons seeking a knowledge of the resources of the state. (Nashville, Tennessee: Foster & Webb, 1900).[10]

References

1. The University of Pennsylvania Library: James M. Safford
2. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. VIII. James T. White & Company. 1924. p. 228. Retrieved January 19, 2021 – via Google Books.
3. Vanderbilt University faculty in 1875
4. Richard G. Stearns, James M. Safford, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, December 25, 2009
5. P. Doyle, Matthew R. Bennett Fields of Battle: Terrain in Military History, Springer, 2002, p. 111
6. "Mortuary". Austin American-Statesman. Dallas. July 4, 1907. p. 3. Retrieved January 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. HathiTrust Digital Library
8. HathiTrust Digital Library
9. HathiTrust Digital Library
10. HathiTrust Digital Library