Biographical entry Mawson, Douglas (1882 - 1958)

Summary

(Sir) Douglas Mawson was leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14 and the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition 1929-31. He was Lecturer in Geology, University of Adelaide 1905-20 and Professor of Geology and Mineralogy 1921-52.

Details

Kt cr 1914, OBE. Antarctic medal, Royal Geographical Society 1909, Founder's medal, Royal Geographical Society 1915, King's Polar medal (two bars), Gold medal, American Geographical Society, Gold medal, Chicago Geographical Society, Gold medal, Paris Geographical Society, Bigsby Medal, Geological Society of London 1919, Fellow, Royal Society 1923, Nachtigal gold medal, Gessellschaft für Erdkunde 1928, Mueller medal, ANZAAS 1930, Sir Joseph Verco medal, Royal Society of South Australia 1931, Founder's medal, Royal Geographical Society of Australia (Queensland) 1931, Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Science 1954. Commemorated by Mawson base, Antarctica, Mawson Laboratories, University of Adelaide and Mawson Lecture, Australian Academy of Science.

Events

1901

Education - Bachelor of Engineering (BE) completed at the University of Sydney

1903

Career position - Expedition to the New Hebrides

1904

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) completed at the University of Sydney

1905 - 1920

Career position - Lecturer in Mineralogy and Petrology at the University of Adelaide

1907 - 1909

Career position - Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica

1909

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the University of Adelaide

1911 - 1914

Career position - Commander of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition

1916 - 1919

Career position - War service in Europe

1920

Career position - President of the Geography Section, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS)

1920 - 1952

Career position - Professor of Geology at the University of Adelaide

1923 - 1924

Career position - President of the Royal Society of South Australia

1926

Career position - President of the Geology Section of ANZAAS

1929 - 1931

Career position - Commander of the British Australian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE)

1932 - 1937

Career position - President of ANZAAS

1952

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the University of Sydney

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Douglas Mawson - Records, 1937 - 1964, MS 30; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Barr Smith Library, Special Collections, The University of Adelaide

• Douglas Mawson - Records, 1887 - 1956, MSS 0009; Barr Smith Library, Special Collections, The University of Adelaide. Details

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

• Douglas Mawson - Records, 1931, MS 5970; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

South Australian Museum Archives

• Douglas Mawson - Records, 1882 - 1958; South Australian Museum Archives. Details
• Douglas Mawson - Records, 1903, NA 11; South Australian Museum Archives. Details

State Library of South Australia, Mortlock Library of South Australiana

• Douglas Mawson - Records, 1904 - 1973, PRG 523; State Library of South Australia, Mortlock Library of South Australiana. Details

Published resources

Books

• Ayres, Philip, Mawson: a Life, Melbourne University Press, Carlton South, 2003, 321 pp. Details
• Ferguson, Richard, Antarctic Artefacts: a Selective Description and Annotated Catalogue of Artefacts in the Mawson Collection at the University of Adelaide, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 1995, 282 pp. Details
• Fletcher, Harold Oswald, Antarctic Days with Mawson: a Personal Account of the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition of 1929-31, Angus & Robertson, London, 1984, 313 pp. Details
• Hall, Lincoln, Douglas Mawson: the Life of an Explorer, New Holland Press, London, 2000, 224 pp. Details
• Mawson, Douglas, The Home of the Blizzard: the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914, Wakefield Press, Kent Town, SA, 1996, 534 pp. Details
• McGregor, Alasdair, Mawson's Huts: an Antarctic Expedition Journal, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1998, 200 pp. Details
• Peter, David and Parer-Cook, Elizabeth, Douglas Mawson, the Survivor, Alella Books in association with the ABC, Morwell, 1983, 160 pp. Details
• Taylor, T. Griffith, Douglas Mawson, Great Australians, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1962. Details

Book Sections

• Jacka, F. J., 'Mawson, Sir Douglas (1882-1958), Geologist and Explorer', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 10, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1986, pp. 454-457. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100444b.htm. Details

Edited Books

• Flannery, Nancy Robinson (ed.), This Everlasting Silence the Love Letters of Paquita Delprat and Douglas Mawson 1911-1914, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2000, 192 pp. Details
• Innes, Margaret and Duff, Heather (eds), Mawson's Papers: a Guide to the Scientific, Personal and Business Papers of Sir Douglas Mawson, OBE, BE, DSc, FRS, FAA, 1882-1958, Professor of Geology and Mineralogy, Antarctic Scientist and Explorer, Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 1990, 318 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• 'Douglas Mawson, 1882-1958', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, vol. 84, 1959, pp. 410-414. Details
• 'Professor Sir Douglas Mawson, Kt, OBE, BE, DSc FRS, 1882-1958', Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia, vol. 82, 1959, pp. 1-6. Details
• Corbett, David W.P., 'Douglas Mawson: the Geologist as Explorer', Records of the South Australian Museum, vol. 30, no. 2, 1998, pp. 107-136. Details
• Laseron, Charles F., 'Obituary: Sir Douglas Mawson', Australian Journal of Science, vol. 21, no. 5, 1958, pp. 134-135. Details
• Law, Philip, 'The Mawson Story - Part 2: Hungry and Alone in the Antarctic', Royal Historical Society of Victoria Journal, vol. 57, no. 2, 1986, pp. 13-18. Details
• Law, Philip, 'The Mawson Story - No 1: 'a Powerful, Stubborn and Gentle Man'', Royal Historical Society of Victoria Journal, vol. 57, no. 1, 1986, pp. 3-13. Details
• MacLeod, Roy, ''Full of Honour and Gain to Science': Munitions Production, Technical Intelligence and the Wartime Career of Sir Douglas Mawson, FRS', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 7, no. 2, 1988, pp. 189-202. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9880720189.htm. Details
• Mawson, D., 'The Role of Geology in the Activities of the Royal Society of South Australia.', Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia, vol. lxxvii, 1954, pp. xii-xiv. Details
• Mawson, Douglas, 'A Current Geographical Outlook', Australasian Association for Advancement of Science, vol. xv, 1921, pp. 145-160. Details
• Mawson, Douglas, 'Progress in Knowledge of the Geology of South Australia', Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia, vol. 60, 1936, pp. lvi-lxv. Details
• Peake-Jones, Ken, 'The Other Mawson: a Centennial Tribute to Sir Douglas Mawson', Royal Geographical Society of Australia (SA Branch), Proceedings, vol. 82, 1984, pp. 64-70. Details

Online Resources

• 'Mawson, Douglas - Ms 30', in Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings, Australian Academy of Science, 1994, http://www.science.org.au/basser/manuscript-collection/ms030.html. Details
• Flannery, Nancy, 'Beyond the Balaclava', in Ockham's Razor, Radio National, 2003, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ockham/stories/s1013305.htm. Details
• National Library of Australia, 'Mawson, Douglas', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-503844. Details

See also

• Federation and Meteorology, 2001, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/fam/scripts/fam-dynindex.php3?EID=P000631. Details
• Science and the making of Victoria, with Royal Society of Victoria, 2001, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/smv/scripts/smv-dynindex.php3?EID=P000631. Details
• Crompton, R. W., 'Leonard George Holden Huxley 1902-198', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 8, no. 4, 1991, pp. 249-264. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9910840249.htm. Details
• Sherratt, Tim, '"On the beach": Australia's nuclear history', Paper presented at French Worlds, Pacific Worlds Conference, 16 July 1996. Also available at http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/pubs/articles/tps/tps_on_the_beach.htm. Details
• White, F. W.G., 'Robert Gordon Menzies (1894-1978)', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 5, no. 1, 1980, pp. 68-102. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9800510068.htm. Details