Matthes, François

Matthes, François (Emile) (1874–1948) geographer; born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He came to the U.S.A. in 1891, studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and worked with the U.S. Geological Survey (1896–1947). An authority on glaciers and glaciation, he is most highly regarded for his superbly drawn topographic maps, especially of the mountainous area that became Glacier National Park, the upper Grand Canyon, and the Yosemite Valley. As chairman of the committee on glaciers of the American Geophysical Union (1932–46), he developed an international program to study glaciers.