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Arthur Powell Davis | |
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| Born | (1861-02-09)February 9, 1861 Decatur, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 7, 1933(1933-08-07) (aged 72) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Rock Creek Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Alma mater | George Washington University |
| Occupation | Hydrographer |
| Employer | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Known for | Co-founding theNational Geographic Society |
| Relatives | John Wesley Powell (uncle) |
Arthur Powell Davis (February 9, 1861 – August 7, 1933) was an Americanhydrographer,engineer,geographer,topographer and nephew ofJohn Wesley Powell.[1] He was born on February 9, 1861, inDecatur, Illinois and received hisCivil Engineering degree fromGeorge Washington University in 1888. Upon graduation he joined his uncle west on theUS Geological Survey throughNew Mexico,Arizona, andCalifornia. He then worked in hydrography in places as far flung asChina,Puerto Rico,Nicaragua,Panama, andTurkestan. In 1888 he co-founded theNational Geographic Society, and in 1907 he was elected president of theWashington Society of Engineers. He served as the director of the Reclamation Service (now theU.S. Bureau of Reclamation) from 1914 to 1923.[2] He was elected to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1921 and theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1927.[3][4]
Boulder Dam (later calledHoover Dam) was fundamentally the conception of Arthur Powell Davis. A month before he died, Arthur Powell Davis was appointed Consulting Engineer on the dam project. Mr. Davis had his vision back in 1902. He died inOakland, California, on August 7, 1933, and is buried in St. Paul'sRock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C., along with his wife, Elizabeth B. Davis. TheDavis Dam is named after him.[5] Like other progressive Republicans, Arthur Davis had deep faith in the role of experts (he himself held a degree in civil engineering), worshipped efficiency, and viewed the federal government as a major instrument for social and political reform.
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