Evening star., 1919-04-18
NAVY MAN HEADS
GEOGRAPHIC BODY
Rear Admiral John E. Pills.
bury Honored by Ma
tionaI Society.

| Rear Admiral John f. Pillsbury, U.
reau of navigation, and foremost au-
thority in the world upon the gulf
stream, yesterday was elected presi-
dent Of the board of managers of the
National Geographic Society.
Henry White, member of the United
States delegation to the Paris peace
conference, who was formerly ambas-
vice president.
| The election was made necessary by
the retirement, on account of i'll
health. of Otto H. Tittmann, former
superintendent of the coast and geo.
detic survey, member of various
boundary commissions and a geologist
of world note. who has been president
of the society since 1915. Rear Ad-
niiral Pillsbury has been vice presi-
dent and Mr. White a member of the
board Of managers.
| Peary Made a Manager.
Rear Admiral Robert e. Peary, U.
S. ~, retired. arctic explorer and dis
! coverer of the north pole, was elected
| to he member of the board of man
ayers to succeed the late Brig. Gen.
John NJ. Wilson. U. S. A. who died
recently.
| Graduating from the United States
Naval Academy in 1857. Admiral Pills
bury'S service. included periods in the
photographic office and in coast sur
vey work. His interest in the gulf
stream currents began in 1884. when
he was placed in command of the
coast survey steamer Blake, and for
seven years observed the currents at
various distances from the surface by
m cans of instruments of his own in
vention. Through these extensive OBJ
servations he fixed the position of the
and off Cape Hatteras and determined
many Of the laws by which the flow is
governed.
In Spanish-American War.
During the Spanish American war
Rear Admiral Pillsbury was in COM
mand Of the dynamite cruiser Vesu-
viuS off Santiago, later was stationed
at the Boston navy yard. was on duty
in Washington as a member Of the
general board. in 1905 was chief of
staff of the north Atlantic fleet. and
was chief Of the bureau Of na~igation
in 1908 and 1909. He has been a MEM
Der of the board Of managers Of the
National Geographic Society since
1909 and vice president since 1915.
Henry White is one of the few
Americans who prepared himself for
diplomatic career and devoted his en-
tire life to that service. Born in Bal
timore, he was educated in this coun-
try and in France. and began his diplo-
matte service as secretary to the
American legation at Vienna in 1888.
He was transferred to London the fol-
lowing year and promoted to secretary
two years later. and frop that time
repeatedly acted as charge d'affaires.
His first attendance at an interna-
tional conference was in 1887, when
he was the United States representa-
tive at the London conference for
abolition Of sugar bounties. Later he
was the American delegate to the con-
ference on agriculture at Rome In 1905.
and was senior delegate to the inter-
fairs at Algeciras the following year.
when Moroccan affairs were adjusted.
There his personal tact won him the
position of an umpire upon many Ques-
tions.
Honored by Roosevelt.
Meanwhile, in 1905, Mr.. White had
been named by President Roosevelt as
American ambassador to Italy. There
he served until he became the United
States ambassador to France in 1907.
Special missions with which he was
of the American delegation to the
fourth pan-American conference at
Buenos Aires in 1910, and as special
! ambassador to Chile for the celebra-
tion of the centenary of Chilean in
dependence, in the fall of the same
year.
When Marshal Joffre. Rene Viviani
and other members of the French
| mission were in Washington shortly
| after Americas entry into the war,
| they made their home at Mr.. Whites
Washington residence, 1924 Crescent
| place. He has been a member of the
! board of managers of the National
Geographic Society since his resi-
dence in Washington.
Other members of the board of gov
| ernors. most of whom were present,
are DR.. Alexander Graham Bell, ].
Howard Gore, Maj. Gen. A. w. Greely,
George Otis Smith, Gilbert Grosve-
nor. Charles J. Bell, John Joy Edison,
| David Fairchild, C. Hart Merriam, o.
P. Austin, George r. Putnam. George
Shiras Sd, Grant Squires, Franklin
K. Lane, william Howard Taft, c,
NJ Chester. Frederick v. Coville, Ru-
| dolph Kauffmann. DR.. T. L. Macdon-
aid and s. N u. North