John James Abert

John James Abert (1788 – 1863) was a United States soldier. He headed the Corps of Topographical Engineers for 32 years, during which time he organized the mapping of the American West.

Abert was born in 1788 in Shepherdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia). Abert graduated from West Point in 1811. After leaving West Point, he married Ellen Matlack Stretch. He rejoined the army as a topographical engineer in 1814. His son, James William Abert, who also became a member of the corps, was born in 1820. [http://www.topogs.org/b_abertjw.html U.S. Corps of Tophographical Engineers] ] In 1829 John Abert was promoted to the leadership of the corps. Officers working under him were responsible for the exploration and mapping of the lands west of the Mississippi River.

Abert Rim in Oregon was named after him, as was Abert's Squirrel.

References

* [http://americanhistory.si.edu/westpoint/history_2a2.html West Point biography]

External links

* [http://virtualology.com/johnjamesabert/ Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, edited by James Grant Wilson, John Fiske and Stanley L. Klos. Six volumes, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887-1889]
* [http://www.mohistory.org/files/archives_guides/AbertFamily.pdf Abert Family Papers] Missouri History Museum Archives