Past Presidents
The Society has possessed a diverse line of presidents, including a New York City Mayor and New York Times Editor. The first president was George Bancroft, an American historian and statesman who was prominent in the promotion of secondary education and public policy.
The Society's presidents have included:
- George Bancroft (1852–1854)
- Francis L. Hawks (1854–1861)
- Henry Grinnell (1861–1864)
- Charles Patrick Daly (1864–1899)
- Seth Low (1900–1901)
- Robert Edwin Peary (1903–1907)
- Archer M. Huntington (1907–1911, Honorary President 1911-1916)
- John Greenough (1916–1925, Honorary President 1925-1934)
- John Huston Finley (1925–1934, Honorary President 1934-1940)
- Roland L. Redmond (1934–1947)
- Richard Upjohn Light (1947–1950)
Other leaders
- Dr. Isaiah Bowman (Director 1915 to 1935)
- John K. Wright (Director 1938-1949)
Read more about this topic: American Geographical Society
Famous quotes containing the word presidents:
“Our presidents have been getting to be synthetic monsters, the work of a hundred ghost- writers and press agents so that it is getting harder and harder to discover the line between the man and the institution.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)
“A president, however, must stand somewhat apart, as all great presidents have known instinctively. Then the language which has the power to survive its own utterance is the most likely to move those to whom it is immediately spoken.”
—J.R. Pole (b. 1922)