Richard Elwood Dodge ( March 30, 1868 - April 2, 1952) was an American geographer, first president of the National Council for Geographic Education, and eleventh president of the American Association of Geographers.

Education Dodge graduated from Salem High School. He obtained a bachlors degree in 1890 and a Master of Arts in 1894, both from Harvard. Dodge later obtained his Ph.D. from Yale. While in graduate school, Dodge studied under William Morris Davis and developed an interest in physiography.

Career

Dodge's early career was shaped by the professors he worked under in graduate school, and he was initially interested primarily in geology. Between 1891 and 1894, he was the teaching assistant for Nathaniel Shaler's geology course, and then appointed instructor of geology in 1894. Dodge worked with the United States Geological Survey, participating in the Transcontinental Excursion of 1891, and worked as an assistant for Charles Willard Hayes during the summers of 1894 and 1895. This experience led Dodge to focus more on geography than on geology. In 1898, Dodge participated in the Hyde Exploring Expedition. Dodge also participated in an expedition to Turkestan led by William Morris Davis, and traveled throughout Eurasia, detailing archeological sites and geography during these travels.

Dodge was the first professor of geography at a United States teacher-training institution as the first geography professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. This position caused Dodge to shift his focus away from geology to geography. In addition to his teaching duties at the Teachers College, Dodge participated in administrative duties.

Dodge established the Journal of School Geography, in 1897 which later became the Journal of Geography after being combined with the Bulletin of the American Bureau of Geography. Dodge was the first editor of the Annals of the Association of American Geographers when it was created in 1911, and maintained the position until 1923, taking one year off when he served as the organization's president in 1915.

Dodge was heavily involved with the Association of American Geographers. In addition to his role as editor of the Annals, Dodge served on the AAG council for 15 years. Between 1915 and 1916, he served as the organization's president. Following his term as president, Dodge worked as the organization's secretary for five years and was involved in several of the organization's committees.

In 1914, efforts began to establish the National Council of Geography Teachers, and in 1915 the organization was formalized. Dodge served as the first president of this organization.

Between 1918 and 1938, Dodge was a professor at Connecticut State College at Storrs (now the University of Connecticut), and between 1920 and 1930, he served as the administrative dean of the geography program.

Publications and research

Books

Dodge is notable for publishing several influential geography textbooks that advanced the discipline in the United States. Publishing these textbooks is regarded as having been a higher priority for him than his teaching duties or personal research, with his neglect for the department cited as creating a culture that ultimately led to the closure of the geography department at Columbia University. Dodge authored or co-authored seven books, including Dodge Geographies, Teaching of Geography in Elementary Schools (with Clara B. Kirchwey), Foundations of Geography (with Stanley D. Dodge), and Economic Geography (with W. Harrison Carter Jr.).

Articles

Dodge's earliest publications were focused on geology, while his later research mostly focused on geography education. His work was influential in shaping how American geography is taught.

+ TitleDatePublisherIdentifierCitation(s) Some Problems of Geographic Education in the United States 1916 Annals of the American Association of Geographers The Interpretation of Sequent Occupance 1938 Annals of the American Association of Geographers Approaching Boston 1903 Journal of Geography The Opportunity of the Geographer in Promoting School Geography 1906 Journal of Geography Geography for Secondary Schools 1908 Journal of Geography Some Suggestions Concerning a Course of Study in Geography 1908 Journal of Geography Geography in Rural Schools 1910 Journal of Geography Man and His Geographic Environment 1910 Journal of Geography The Grand Coulee, Washington 1913 Journal of Geography The Modern Point of View in Geography Teaching 1914 Journal of Geography The Purposes of Geography Teaching 1914 Journal of Geography The Teaching of Physical Geography in Elementary Schools 1900 National Geographic Continental Phenomena Illustrated by Ripple Marks 1894 Science Scientific Geography for Schools 1898 The Geographical Journal Additional Species of Pleistocene Fossils From Winthrop, Massachusetts 1894 American Journal of Science

Awards and recognition

Dodge was included in the first edition of American Men of Science as a geologist. In 1917, Dodge became the first teaching faculty member to give the commencement speech for the Connecticut Agricultural College, titled Looking Ahead in Agriculture: A Vision of Our Opportunities and Responsibilities as Farmers. Dodge received the National Council of Geography Teachers' Distinguished Service to Geography Award in 1946 for "his contributions to geography in education and in recognition of his many personal and intellectual qualities the National Council of Geography Teachers." He was a member of the Sigma Xi honor society, and a fellow of the New York Academy of Science, Geological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Personal life

Dodge was the seventh man in his family to be named Richard Dodge. He was married in 1896 and had a daughter and two sons. Dodge was a 32° Mason, and active in his lodge.

See also

References

External links