Description
Correspondence, diaries, and papers, pertaining to his activities as geologist, as professor, and as Dean of the College of
Letters and Science, University of California, Berkeley, and as member of the advisory board of the University of California
at Santa Barbara.
Background
George Davis Louderback, geologist, was born in San Francisco on April 6, 1874. He attended public schools in San Francisco,
and then went to the University of California, where he was an assistant in mineralogy from 1897 to 1900. After obtaining
his doctorate in Berkeley, he went to the University of Nevada for six years, and here developed the department of geology
and mineralogy and aided in the organization of the Mackay School of Mines. At this time he was also a research assistant
for the Carnegie Institution of Washington, specializing in studies of Nevada geology. In 1906 he returned to the University
of California as an assistant professor, becoming a full professor in 1917. From 1914 to 1916 Louderback was in charge of
geological expeditions into the interior of China, first for the Standard Oil Company of New York, and later for the Chinese
government. He was chairman of the Committee on Geology and Mineral Resources for the State Council Defense during the first
World War, and at this time was also in charge of war mineral investigations in California for the U. S. Geological Survey.
He accepted the deanship of the College of Letters and Science from 1920 to 1922, and later from 1930 to 1939, for the purpose
of reorganizing rules and curriculum. In addition to his duties in the Department of Geological Sciences, he was chairman
of the department, and active in many university committees. In 1928, he was appointed member of the state commission investigating
the St. Francis Dam failure, and subsequently was geological consultant for the construction and safety of dams in California.
In 1929 he was delegate to the Pacific Science Congress in Java.
Extent
Number of containers: 32 boxes, 10 cartons, 1 portfolio, and 1 package
Linear feet: 25.5
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft
Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
Collection is open for research.