Fonds MS-2-20 - George Vibert Douglas fonds

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Title proper

George Vibert Douglas fonds

General material designation

  • Textual record

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Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

MS-2-20

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1929-1956 (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

5 cm of textual records

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1892-1958)

Biographical history

George Vibert Douglas was a Canadian geologist and educator. Born in Montreal on July 2, 1892, he was educated in British private schools, graduated from McGill with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in 1920 and 1921, respectively, and pursued doctoral studies at Harvard University. He married Olga Margaret Chrichton, with whom he had four children.

In the First World War, Douglas fought as a captain with the British Army, serving with the 17th Northumberland Fusiliers from 1915 to 1919 in Flanders and France. He received the Military Cross for his efforts. From 1921 to 1922, he worked as a geologist on a Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic expedition and subsequently spent a year at Cambridge working on the materials he had collected. In 1923, Douglas began a Ph.D. at Harvard, where he also lectured in geology. He ended the program prematurely to become Chief Geologist at the Spanish company Rio Tinto in 1926. From 1930 to 1931, Douglas was a member of the exploration of the Rhodesia-Congo Border Concession.

Douglas came to Dalhousie in the early 1930s. He was the university’s first Carnegie Professor of Geology, serving as Head of Geology from 1932 to 1957. He was an active member of the Dalhousie community, helping to establish both the Dalhousie Art Gallery and a university student employment centre to assist students seeking work in mining and related fields. He led Dalhousie expeditions to Labrador in 1946 and 1947 and served as the Provincial Geologist. Douglas retired from Dalhousie in 1957 and died October 8, 1958. The department established the Douglas Prize in Geology in his honour.

Custodial history

The materials were accessioned by Dalhousie University Archives in 1970. The custodial history is unknown.

Scope and content

Fonds consists of two notebooks and a number of Douglas's offprints on geological topics, including findings from the Shackleton expedition and mineral deposits in Nova Scotia.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Language and script note

English.

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

There are no access restrictions on these materials. All materials are open for research.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Materials do not circulate and must be used in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room. Materials may be under copyright. Contact departmental staff for guidance on reproduction.

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Accruals

Further accruals are possible, but not expected.

General note

Preferred citation: [Identification of item], George Vibert Douglas fonds, MS-2-20, Box [box number], Folder [folder number], Dalhousie University Archives, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

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