On his initiative, he sought to improve seamanship by organizing the information in his office and instituting a reporting system among the nation's shipmasters to gather further information on sea conditions and observations. In his own lifetime he was called Pathfinder of the Seas.. Benjamin Franklins map of the Gulf Stream, published in about 1770. He helped the Confederacy acquire a ship, CSSGeorgia, while trying to convince several European powers to help stop the war. Naval Observatory, 1830-2000 (Cambridge, 2003), 109-11. Lunenburg County, Dominion of Virginia, United Kingdom. without consent. The Maury River, entirely in Rockbridge County, Virginia, near Virginia Military Institute (where Maury taught), also honors the scientist, as does Maury crater, on the Moon. In 1862 he went to England as a special agent of the Confederacy, and at the wars end (1865) he went to Mexico, where the emperor Maximilian made him imperial commissioner of immigration so that Maury could establish a Confederate colony there. The naval mines, called torpedoes at that time, were similar to present-day contact mines and were said by the Secretary of the Navy in 1865 "to have cost the Union more vessels than all other causes combined. Naval Observatory and Hydrographic Office. The frequency of these occurrences seemed unlikely if the whales had traveled around Cape Horn.[6]. This blog is governed by the general rules of respectful civil discourse. Congress refused to appropriate funds for a land system of weather observations. When you can describe it in numbers, then you know something about it.. (Photo: 8News) Maury statue is loaded in the back of a flatbed and taken to an . He was nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas" and is considered a founder of modern oceanography. [4] He pored over the documents, collecting information on winds, calms, and currents for all seas in all seasons. Matthew Fontaine Maury. Despite his brothers death, and against his fathers wishes, Matthew was commissioned in the Navy as an acting midshipman in February 1825, age 19. He was U.S. representative at the meeting that led to the establishment of the International Hydrographic Bureau. It is available for purchase from the library. As a result of John's painful death, Matthew's father, Richard, forbade him from joining the Navy. Almost immediately, Maury began to study the seas and to record methods of navigation. [25] James Madison University also has a Maury Hall, the university's first academic and administrative building. Read historians' thoughts about the transatlantic cable. Diana F. Maury Corbin, comp., A Life of Matthew Fontaine Maury (London, 1888).. 3. Some were offered to Maury's wife, Ann Hull Herndon-Maury, who accepted them for her husband. In this role, Maury helped develop the first electrically controlled naval mine, which caused havoc for U.S. shipping. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). the Library of Congress may monitor any user-generated content as it chooses and reserves the right to His body was placed on display in the Virginia Military Institute library. His papers and maps together are a testament to the hard work he devoted to his study. Voyages became safer after Maury initiated the use of internationally recognized sea lanes. Maury became its director. It took Robert E Lee seven years to obtain a pardon. This led to the establishment at Blacksburg of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, later renamed Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, in 1872. Maury sent Field a copy of his letter, which stated in part that the soundings had revealed the existence of a plateau "which seems to have been placed there especially for the purpose of holding the wires of a submarine telegraph, and of keeping them out of harm's way." Matthew Fontaine Maury From Hero, to Traitor, to "Lost Cause" Statue As officer-in-charge of the United States Navy office in Washington, DC, called the "Depot of Charts and Instruments," the young lieutenant became a librarian of the many unorganized log books and records in 1842. Matthew Maury died, age 67, on 1873 February 1, 1873 at the Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia. Matthew Fontaine Maury was born on January 14, 1806 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA. Nevertheless, The book was well received, and in 1844 replaced American Practical Navigator as the standard U.S. Navy text for midshipmen. Steven J. Dick, Sky and Ocean Joined: The U.S. Read our M. F. Maury, before the Fair of the Agricultural & Mechanical Society, This page was last edited on 17 July 2023, at 13:57. There, Maury claimed, was "work to be done by Africans with the American axe in his hand. His father, Richard Maury, was a farmer. Around this time Patricia Jahns wrote about Maury and his contemporary and . Badly injured in a stagecoach accident in 1839, Maury could no longer serve at sea, so he was assigned to run first the Navy's Depot of Charts and Instruments, where he found a repository of ships' logs from every Navy voyage; and then the newly-formed United States Naval Observatory. Matthew Fontaine Maury (1849 - 1887) - Genealogy - Geni.com privilege to post content on the Library site. American Practical Navigator: an Epitome of Navigation. He told his family that his work was inspired by Psalm 8, "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas."[2]. Lieutenant Maury published his Wind and Current Chart of the North Atlantic, which showed sailors how to use the ocean's currents and winds to their advantage, drastically reducing the length of voyages. Maury played a key role in the founding of modern oceanography. [19] From statements that he made in letters, it appears that he preferred being close to General Robert E. Lee in Lexington, where Lee was president of Washington College. The Telegraph Plateau Matthew Maury (1806-1873), an officer in the US Navy, is now known as the Father of Modern Oceanography and Naval Meteorology. Nice article! The Matthew Fontaine Maury Papers, a collection at the Library of Congress, contains over 14,000 items that document his career, including correspondence, notebooks, written speeches, and more. Maurys series of Pilot Charts show recorded prevailing wind patterns by compass direction and month for every 5 square of the ocean. On February 17, 2023, the Academy announced that it had renamed this building in honor of Jimmy Carter, the only Naval Academy graduate to become President of the United States. Sun., July 12, 2020. 1782. The Complicated Legacy of Matthew Maury, the 'Scientist of - HistoryNet He proposed that the United States invite the maritime nations of the world to a conference to establish a "universal system" of meteorology, and he was the leading spirit of a pioneer scientific conference when it met in Brussels in 1853. He recommended a southerly route with Memphis, Tennessee, as the eastern terminus, as it is equidistant from Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico. Maury told him it was, and to go ahead. Maury sent out survey ships to take depth readings in the Atlantic Ocean to begin building a map of the ocean floor. A neighbor loaned Matthew a horse for his journey to the east coast and he left home with $30 in his pocket he had earned this tutoring younger students at Harpeth Academy. He became Superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory and head of the Depot of Charts and Instruments. The content of all comments is released into the public domain unless clearly stated otherwise. responsible for everything that you post. Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) was born near Fredericksburg, Virginia, before moving with his family at the age of 5 near Nashville, Tennessee. Matthew Fontaine Maury's design for the New Dominion cannot be understood without first reviewing his unsuccessful efforts to induce south-erners to emigrate to Mexico after the Civil War. He thought he detected a warm surface current pushing into the Arctic, and logs of old whaling ships indicated that whales killed in the Atlantic bore harpoons from ships in the Pacific (and vice versa). Dr Matthew Fontaine Maury Osborne. Matthew Maurys lifetime and the lifetimes of related scientists. He was paid $19 a month and sent half of it home to help one of his sisters. 2. Maury was offered the position as its first president but turned it down because of his age. unless clearly stated otherwise. Thus, he always had able assistants. Dick, Sky and Ocean Joined, 60.Frances Leigh Williams, Matthew Fontaine Maury: Scientist of the Sea (New Brunswick, 1963). Scientist Matthew Maury modernized navigation techniques but his racist politics have made him a pariah. Upon learning of the plan, Lee wrote Maury saying, "The thought of abandoning the country, and all that must be left in it, is abhorrent to my feelings, and I prefer to struggle for its restoration, and share its fate, rather than to give up all as lost. After giving up his seat to a woman passenger, Maury was traveling on top of a stage coach. Matthew Fontaine Maury | Encyclopedia.com // cutting the mustard The very ribs of the solid earth, with the foundations of the sea, would be brought to light., There is a river in the ocean. Some have been placed at Virginia Military Institute or lent to the Smithsonian. Updates? Maury's seagoing days ended abruptly at the age of 33 after he broke his right leg in a stagecoach accident. Death of Matthew Fontaine Maury. However, for a time he also made the seas less safe, inventing the electric torpedo, the single most devastating naval weapon of the American Civil War. He was also called Pathfinder of the Seas and Scientist of the Seas. Influenced by the accounts of his oldest brother's experiences as a Navy man, Matthew Fontaine Maury joined the Navy in 1825. The statue was dedicated in the late 1920s. Maury then returned to England in 1866 and found work there. 1782. In 1855 he published the first modern oceanographic text, The Physical Geography of the Sea. Four Navy ships would also bear his name. Maury's uniform system of recording synoptic oceanographic data was adopted by navies and merchant marines around the world and was used to develop charts for all the major trade routes. Matthew Fontaine Maury (January 14, 1806 February 1, 1873) was an American oceanographer and naval officer, serving the United States and then joining the Confederacy during the American Civil War. There is in the world no other such majestic flow of waters. [23][24] The original building of the College of William & Mary Virginia Institute of Marine Science is named Maury Hall as well. Circling the Globe With his knowledge of winds and currents, Maury also accurately predicted where a ship last seen in trouble 300 miles off the coast of New Jersey would be found. This article was most recently revised and updated by, 9 Questions About the American Civil War Answered, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Matthew-Fontaine-Maury, NASA Ocean Motion - Timeline: 1800 A.D. - Biography of Matthew Fontaine Maury, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture - Biography of Matthew Fontaine Maury, Matthew Fontaine Maury - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Later researchers discovered that this ridge the Mid-Atlantic Ridge stretched the entire north-south length of the ocean. From these, he aimed to produce detailed charts showing typical conditions and optimal navigation routes for naval ships at all times of the year. Matthew Fontaine Maury statue removed on Richmond's Monument Avenue Brazil authorized free navigation to all nations in the Amazon in 1866, only when it was at war against Paraguay, when free navigation in the area had become necessary. [13] However, a recent article explaining the removal of his monument from Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, illustrated a proslavery stance through deep ties to the slave trade that accompanied his scientific achievements. In 1825, at the age of 19, he received a midshipman's commission with the help of Sam Houston. Maury died in 1873, having been knighted for his accomplishments by four foreign governments. Maury. ' Matthew Maury - Biography, Facts and Pictures - Famous Scientists Using his charts: Maury became known as Pathfinder of the Seas.. It features the engraved moniker "Pathfinder of the Seas". [3], causing the change of purpose and renaming of the depot to the United States Naval Observatory and Hydrographical Office in 1854. Matthew Fontaine Maury's Timeline. Dr Matthew Fontaine Maury Osborne (1916-2003) - Find a Grave At the beginning of 1839, at age 33, Maurys naval career came to a shattering end. Oceanographer and author Matthew F. Maury was born on January 14, 1806, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Please use the following MLA compliant citation: Further Reading Matthews older brother John had joined the Navy at age 13. remove content for any reason whatever, without consent. Matthew Fontaine Maury: The Father of Oceanography He envisaged for the first time the creation of his famed Wind and Current Charts. He died at the institute in 1873 after he had completed an exhausting state-to-state lecture tour on national and international weather forecasting on land. It documents Maury's extensive career and scientific endeavors, including correspondence, notebooks, lectures, and written speeches. In 1839 he was lamed in a stagecoach accident, which made him unfit for active service. Maury joined the Navy as a midshipman on board the frigate Brandywine, which was carrying the elderly Marquis de La Fayette home to France following his famous 1824 visit to the United States. The best source of information on the Maury family is Sue C. West-Teague's book, The Maury Family Tree: Descendants of Mary Anne Fontaine (1690-1755) and Matthew Maury (1686-1752), published in 2004. "[citation needed]. In 1842, now land-based, Maury became superintendent of the Navys Depot of Charts and Instruments in Washington, D.C. Maury was a descendant of the Maury family, a prominent Virginia family of Huguenot ancestry that can be traced back to 15th-century France. Brother of Elizabeth Herndon Maury; Diana Fontaine Corbin; Lt. His great-grandfather was Matthew Maury who had married Mary Anne Fontaine. In 1859, Maury produced a similar chart, documenting monsoon and trade winds of the Indian Ocean, including a map of seasonal wind patterns in February and August. "[15], Maury wanted to open up the Amazon to free navigation in his plan. In July 1834, age 28, Maury married his cousin Ann Hull Herndon, who was 22. He would spend much of the war abroad, hoping to persuade Europeans to support the Confederate cause and bring the war to a quick end. The Fontaine-Maury Society Decades before Maury was born, Benjamin Franklin correctly explained the Atlantic Oceans Gulf Stream after recording sea temperatures on several crossings. Maury gave crucial support to Cyrus Fieldand the idea of a transatlantic cable by showing Field the route that a cable could take across the ocean. As a U.S. Navy officer, he was required to decline awards from foreign nations. 4th edition. He returned to the United States in 1868 and accepted the professorship of meteorology at Virginia Military Institute, a post he held until his death. Adams thus felt no constraint in regularly stopping by for a look through the facility's telescope. Maury estimated he had covered 1,844 miles in 12 November days and made $540; tickets to his lectures sold for 50 cents and he candidly admitted, "Am afraid of empty benches." [5] It was soon after the Brussels conference that Prussia, Spain, Sardinia, the Free City of Hamburg, the Republic of Bremen, Chile, Austria, Brazil, and others agreed to join the enterprise. Observer of the Oceans Matthew Fontaine Maury - Wikipedia Ships began carrying logs he had designed. Introduction: Reconsidering Matthew Fontaine Maury - Helen M His expertise is evident in his large body of work, and particularly in his maps. Maury's uniform system of recording oceanographic data was adopted by navies and merchant marines worldwide and was used to develop charts for all the major trade routes. Instead, he obtained a naval appointment through the influence of Tennessee Representative Sam Houston, a family friend, in 1825, at the age of 19. Chronometers were available to few ships, and sailors. Matthew Fontaine Maury - Apologetics Press While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Matthew Maury was a founder of modern oceanography. In that year his Sailing Directions included a section recommending that eastbound and westbound steamers travel in separate lanes in the North Atlantic to prevent collisions. The fourth statue, of Confederate naval officer, Matthew Fontaine Maury is less well known. [13], Upon his resignation from the U.S. Navy, the Virginia governor appointed Maury commander of the Virginia Navy. Maury compiled all the available ocean data into wind and current charts, which he published in 1847. On the voyage to the Pacific, Maurys ship Falmouth had to go round the infamous Cape Horn. Matthew Fontaine Maury: Pathfinder of the Seas That summer the captain of the U.S.S. His family's roots were wide and deep in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County. Publ. A four-year voyage on the Vincennes took him around the world he was in the first United States warship to circumnavigate the earth. He argued that a southerly route running through Texas would avoid winter snows and could open up commerce with the northern states of Mexico. He was nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas" and "Father of Modern Oceanography and Naval Meteorology" and later, "Scientist of the Seas," due to the publication of his extensive works in his books . Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Knowledge of seasonal and geographic changes aided captains in their cross-Atlantic journeys. Anticipating National Geographics Drain the Oceans by 150 years, Maury wrote: People who bought The Physical Geography were fascinated to learn such facts as microscopic sea shells had been found in samples taken from the ocean floor two miles under the Atlantic. Maury would head the Observatory from 1844 to 1861, spending his time charting the winds and currents of the world's oceans and publishing the firstWind and Current Chartsin 1847. The wealthy businessmen and fellow New Yorkers who financed Cyrus Field'svision of a submarine cable across the Atlantic and served as the board of the company. [citation needed] He became a commodore (often a title of courtesy) in the Virginia Provisional Navy and a Commander in the Confederacy. He is often referred to as Father of Modern Oceanography and Naval Meteorology, due to the publication of his extensive works in his books, especially The Physical Geography of the Sea (1855), the first extensive and comprehensive book on oceanography to be published. Scientist of the Seas: The Legacy of Matthew Fontaine Maury. [12] He believed the future of United States commerce lay in South America, colonized by white southerners and their enslaved people. Matthew Fontaine Maury: Pathfinder of the Seas - The Epoch Times Dolphin, Lieutenant Otway Henry Berryman, conducted a series of deep-sea soundings from Newfoundland to Ireland. 58:47. In 1868 he was pardoned by the federal government and returned to the US, accepting a teaching position at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, holding the chair of physics. Nevertheless, in declining to fight against his native Virginia, Maury resigned his post and joined the Confederate Navy, initially to direct coastal and river defenses and develop naval mine technologies to use against the Union. Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) was in fact a Confederate naval officer, and that status gave him the credentials to join Lee, Stuart, Davis, and Jackson on Monument Avenue. He advocated for creating a state agricultural college as an adjunct to Virginia Military Institute. Besides his detailed geographic depiction of the landscape, Maury included a wealth of thematic information, including predominant church denominations, geological regions, zoological distributions, and, of course, prevailing wind patterns across the country. Maury was neither a slave-owner nor a proponent of slavery. In February 1854 Maury was composing a letter to the Secretary of the Navy with the results of the soundings when he received a communication from Field, asking about the feasibility of a transatlantic cable. Growing sectional tensions in America began to occupy more and more of Maury's attention, and while returning from a trip to England in December 1860, he wrote his daughter, "I fear the Union is gone." Maury established relations for the Confederacy with Emperor Napoleon III of France and Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who, on April 10, 1864, was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico. The data revealed to Maury a submarine mountain range on the ocean floor, which he name Dolphin Rise. } Manuscript drawing, Engineer W. G. Atkinson, "General Geological. At age 12, Matthew fell from a high tree badly injuring his back and almost biting his tongue off. There is a beautiful statue of him as the Pathfinder of the Seas on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. In the 1850s, as an oceanographer and a US naval officer, Maury developed a series of wind and tide charts, using data from thousands of ship's logs, that significantly improved passage times for many sailing ships. Maury also called for an international sea and land weather service. Maury became convinced that adequate scientific knowledge of the sea could be obtained only through international cooperation. [17], He had previously been suggested as president of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1848 by Benjamin Blake Minor in his publication the Southern Literary Messenger. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Maury, a Virginian, resigned his commission as a U.S. Navy commander and joined the Confederacy. Gratuitous links to sites are viewed as spam and may result in removed comments. Matthew Fontaine Maury and the Oceanography | SciHi Blog About this Collection | Matthew Fontaine Maury Papers | Digital Fascinated by the curiously low atmospheric pressures he recorded there, Maury later wrote his first scientific paper, On the Navigation of Cape Horn, published in the American Journal of Science in July 1834.