Dana James Dwight

Dana, James Dwight, American naturalist, was born in Utica, New York State, in 1813, and after studying at Yale College, served, in 1838, on Wilkes' expedition of scientific exploration, a full account of which was subsequently published by him. In recognition of his services, in 1846, he was elected to the chair of natural history and geology in Yale College. His best known works are Characteristics of Volcanoes with Facts from the Hawaiian Islands, a System of Mineralogy, and a Text-Book of Geology.