William Phipps Blake (1826-1910)
Mineralogist & Professor of the Department of Mining at the University of California
He was born in New York City and after graduating from Yale was reputed to have become, "the first college-trained chemist employed full-time in American industry." As the official mineralogist and geologist of the Pacific Railroad Exploring Expedition in 1853, he made several important discoveries, including studying the erosive effects of wind-blown sand in the San Gorgonio Pass in California. Over the course of his career, he served in several different official government posts, which included being appointed California's representative to the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1867. He also exhibited his mineral collection at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. He became a sought-after expert witness for testimony in court cases involving the geology of mineral deposits, leading to his appointment as Professor of Geology and Director of the School of Mines at the University of Arizona. The last post he held was Professor of the Department of Mining at the University of California.
