New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-04-06
AGAssIZ THE NATURALIST.
Career Of Late Noted Authority on Ma
rine Plant and Animal Life.

Career Of Late Noted Authority on Ma
rine Plant and Animal Life.
Professor Alexander Agassz, the dis
tinguished naturalist, mining expert, !
author and authority on marine plant
and animal life, who died recent
" at sea on his way to New York,
was born in Neuchatel, in the Jura
mountains, Switzerland, in 1885. His
father was Louis Agassiz, the great
naturalist, while his mother was a
sister of Alexander Braun, the famous
philosopher apd botanist. He receiy-
ed his early education in Europe, but
after the death of his mother, when
he was fifteen years old, he joined his
father in the United States He then
prepared for Harvard university and
was graduated from that institution in
1855, his classmates including Phillips
Brooks.
After leaving Harvard Professor
Agassiz entered the Lawrence Scien-
tific school of Harvard, where he
studied civil engineering. He was
graduated with the degree of B. S. in
1857 and then spent three terms in the
chemical department.
In March, 1859, he went to Cali
fornia, where be was appointed an
assistant on the United States coast
survey. He proved himself an adept
in drawing the specimens of fish
collected many specimens for the mu-
scum of comparative zoology at Cam
bridge, Mass. He returned to Cam
bridge in 1860 and was made agent
| Of the museum. During the absence
Of his father in Brazil in 1865 he had
entire charge Of the institution Dur
ing the same year he became inter-
ested in coal mining In Pennsylvania.
Going to Lake Superior in 1866, he
became treasurer OF the Calumet mine,e
and in the following year he became
superintendent Of the Calumet and
/ Hecla mines In 1859 he was made
president Of the properties. He be-
came a fellow Of Harvard in 1878,
which he held until 1885, when he re-.
| signed because Of i'll health
In 1873 he gained the Walker prize
/ Of $1,000 from the Boston Society Of
| Natural History for his investigations
on the echinoderms.
| From 1876 to 1881 Professor Agassiz
spent his winters in deep sea dredg-
ing in the gulf Of Mexico and the
Caribbean sea- his Investigations add
ing to his fame. In 1904 he refused
the offer Of Andrew Carnegie to pay
the expenses Of a scientific expedition
along the coasts of Central and South
America on condition that Mr.. Carne-
4 gies name be attached to the exped1-
i ton, but paid the expenses, amounting
to $75, 900, himself In 1905 he went
to Africa, where he studied the fauna
i and flora, cataracts, deserts and an
cient ruins.
He retained his office of president of
the Calumet and Hecla mining proper
ties, which are said to be among the
richest in the world. He was lib
eral man, and his donations to the
i cause Of education and science aggre-
gate 100000. He was citizen of
large estate He wrote extensively
upon geological subjects, and his ac-
i counts of his scientific expeditions
have become scientific text books. He
was appointed a member Of the Order
of Merit by Emperor William in 1902
and was made an officer of the Legion
of Honor by the president Of France
in 1896. He also belonged to the
Academies Of Science of Paris, Lon
don, Vienna, Munich, Rome, Stock
holm and Copenhagen. He served for
years as president of the National
Academy of Science and the American
Academy of Arts and Science.