Clarence King

From Freepedia

Clarence King (January 6,1842 – December 24,1901) was an American geologist and climber, and the first director of the USGS, from 1879-1881. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island.

Clarence King was noted for his exploration of the Sierra Nevada. With William H. Brewer and Josiah D. Whitney, he was a member of the California Geological Survey. King had the first ascent of Mount Tyndall, at the time labelling it mistakenly as the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada.

In October 1872, he uncovered a diamond and gemstone hoax perpetrated by Philip Arnold.

His common law marriage in 1888 to a Black woman, Ada Copeland, was kept secret by his keeping a double identity. King didn't even reveal his true name to his wife until he was on his deathbed. He was survived by four children.

King died of tuberculosis in Phoenix, Arizona. Kings Peak is named in his honor.

Reference

• Clarence King: A Biography by Thurman Wilkins, Caroline Lawson Hinkley, University of New Mexico Press, ISBN 0826310850

• Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada (New York: C. Scribner’s sons, 1902)