James Hall (paleontologist) - Later Years

Later Years

After his work in New York, Hall extended his studies to other regions of the country. In 1850 Hall participated in a geological survey of northern Michigan and Wisconsin where he identified the first fossil reefs ever found in North America. He was appointed state geologist for Iowa (1855–1858) and Wisconsin (1857–1860). In addition, several other state survey programs sought out Hall for his expertise and advice. In 1866 he was made director of New York’s Museum of Natural History in Albany. In 1893 he was appointed the State Geologist of New York.

Between 1847 and 1894 Hall published 13 volumes of The Palaeontology of New York, his principal contribution in the field. This massive work consisted of over 4500 pages and 1000 full-page illustrations. In addition, Hall wrote more than 30 other books, published over 200 papers, and contributed sections to several federal and state publications on geology.

He was a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences and the first president of the Geological Society of America. He was one of the founders of the International Geologic Congress and served as a vice-president at their sessions in Paris, Bologna, and Berlin. He was elected one of the fifty foreign members of the Geological Society of London in 1848, and in 1858 was awarded its Wollaston Medal. In 1884 he was elected correspondent of the French Academy of Sciences.

At the age of 85 he traveled to St. Petersburg to attend the International Geological Congress and also participate in an expedition to the Ural Mountains. Hall died two years later in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. He is buried at the Albany Rural Cemetery, Albany, New York.

There is a residence hall at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute named after James Hall. It is officially known as Hall Hall.