Thomas Sterry Hunt

Hunt, Thomas Sterry

Thomas Sterry Hunt, chemist, geologist (b at Norwich, Conn 5 Sept 1826; d at New York C 12 Feb 1892). After studying at Yale under Benjamin Silliman Jr, Hunt joined the GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA in 1846 as a chemist and mineralogist. While in this position, he taught at Laval 1856-62 and McGill 1862-68. In 1872 he left Canada to accept the geology chair at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He officially retired in 1878, but continued to conduct research, remaining an important member of the scientific community. As a chemist and geologist with original and controversial ideas, Hunt was known for his contributions to defining the Laurentian and Huron geological systems. In 1859 he was elected fellow of the Royal Soc of London and was appointed president of both the American Institute of Mining Engineers (1877) and the American Chemical Soc (1880). Throughout his career, he maintained close ties with Canada. He helped found the RSC in 1882 and became its president in 1884.