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What was Matthew Fontaine Maury's early career like?
Matthew Fontaine Maury joined the Navy as a midshipman on board the frigate Brandywine which was carrying the Marquis de La Fayette home to France.
What did Matthew Fontaine Maury achieve?
In 1855 Matthew Fontaine Maury published the first modern oceanographic text, The Physical Geography of the Sea.

Question: What was his early life like?
Self-contained rewrite: What was Matthew Fontaine Maury's early life like?