William Edmond Logan

Sir William Edmond Logan FRS (1798–1875)

Timeline

Date	Details
1798	Born.
1835	Appointed.
1842	Resigned.
1842	Initiated Geological Survey of Canada.
1843-1869	Director Geological Survey of Canada.
1851	F.R.S.
1856	Knight.
1856	Wollaston Medal.
1867	Royal Medal.
1875	Died.

Biographies and obituaries

Life of Sir William E. Logan, B.J. Harrington. 1883.

Q.J.G.S. 1876, p. 76.

Sir William Edmond Logan journals, 1843-4. Reference: NLW MS 21715-16B The National Library of Wales

William Edmond Logan — Wikipedia article

Winder, C. Gordon, Logan, Sir William Edmond, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. X.

Vodden, Christy, No Stone Unturned: The First 150 Years of the Geological Survey of Canada, Minister of Supply and Services, Ottawa, 1992

Smith, Charles and Dyck, Ian (editors), William E. Logan's 1845 Survey of the Upper Ottawa Valley, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, 2007

Winder, C. Gordon, William Edmond Logan (1798-1875): Knighted Canadian Geologist, Trafford On Demand Publishing, 2004

Portrait William Edmond Logan Canadian Museum of History

Winder, C.G. William Edmond Logan (1798-1875): Knighted Canadian Geologist. Trafford Publishing, 2006

Sir William E. Logan and the Geological Survey of Canada Toronto Public Library

Geological Survey of Canada Sir William Logan 1798 - 1875 Wayback Machine

Bell, Robert, 1907, Sir William Logan and the Geological Survey of Canada: The Mortimer Co., Montreal, 28p.

Harrington, B.J., 1883, Sir William Logan, Kt: First Director of the Geological Survey of Canada: Dawson Brothers Publishers, Montreal, 432p.

Winder, C.G.,1965, Logan and South Wales: Geological Association of Canada, Proceedings, v.14, pp.103-124.

Winder, C. Gordon, 1991-92, wrote six articles on Logan: CIM BULL, v.84, no.954,pp.14-18; CIM BULL, v.84, no.956, pp.8-12; CIM BULL, v.85, no.957, pp.10-16; CIM BULL, v.85, no.958, pp.27-40; CIM BULL, v.85, no.959, pp.13-18; no.960, pp.13-21 (See William Edmond Logan (1798 - 1875): Canada's Super-rocker!!

BGS archives

Ref No	Title	Description
GSM/DC/A/C/11/26,31,33	W E Logan: Letters on his appointment in Canada.
GSM/DC/A/C/11/31	W E Logan: Letter to H T De la Beche.
GSM/DC/A/C/11/31	W E Logan: Letter to H T De la Beche.
GSM/DC/A/C/11/33	W E Logan: Report on Logan by H T De la Beche.
GSM/DC/A/C/13/79	W E Logan: Printed catalogue of Canadian minerals
GSM/DR/Bc/A/2	Correspondence with other geologists inc T.Reeks, R.Phillips, T.Sopwith, C.Roach and W.E.Logan re models and a medal
GSM/GX/Lo	William Edmond Logan	Obituary file. Logan was a member of a mining company operating in the South wales area. He has begun mapping coal seams and othe geological information on the 1" OS sheets as soon as they were produced and his work was used by De la Beche until Logan left for Canada in 1842. Logan introduced more detailed horizontal and vertical sections and used a 6" scale for detailed topographical mapping.

Other archives

Written in Stone: William E. Logan and the Geological Survey of Canada Library and Archives Canada

Sir William Edmond Logan FRS (1798–1875)

William Edmond Logan Sir William Edmond Logan, a Canadian, was influential amongst early nineteenth century British geologists and collaborated with the BGS's first Director, Henry de La Beche, mapping parts of South Wales.

Sir William Edmond Logan was born in Montreal, Canada in 1798; his parents were Scottish émigrés, but Logan returned to Scotland to attend school and university.

Later he became the manager of a copper works in Swansea, where his interest in the local coalfield geology began.

In 1842 Logan returned to the land of his birth to become the first Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, where he continued to work for many years, before retiring to West Wales. He died in 1875.

Today, Logan is recognised as Canada’s most important scientist, a trailblazer, and Canada’s highest mountain is named in his honour.

The National Museum of Wales recently dedicated an exhibition to William Edmond Logan where you can find further details about his life and work.