Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson OBE FRS FAA (1882–1958) was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer and academic. Mawson was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The other key leaders were Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton.
Sir Douglas Mawson | |
|---|---|
 Mawson in 1914 | |
| Born | 5 May 1882 Shipley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 14 October 1958 (aged 76) Brighton, South Australia, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | Fort Street Model School and University of Sydney, Sydney |
| Occupation | Geologist, chemistry demonstrator, Antarctic explorer, academic |
| Known for | First ascent of Mount Erebus First team to reach the South Magnetic Pole Sole survivor of Far Eastern Party Australasian Antarctic Expedition Mawson's Huts Mawson Plateau |
| Spouse(s) | Francisca Paquita Delprat (1891-1974), married 1914 |
| Children | Patricia (1915-1999) Jessica (1917-2004) |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society Bigsby Medal (1919) Clarke Medal (1936) |
Mawson was born in Shipley, West Yorkshire on 5 May 1882. When he was only two years old, his family immigrated to Australia and settled in Rooty Hill, New South Wales. He went to Fort Street Model School. Then he studied at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in 1902 with a Bachelor of Engineering. Mawson spent his life on Antarctic expeditions and academic work. He died in Brighton, South Australia on 14 October 1958.
Douglas Mawson Media
Mackay, David and Mawson raise the flag at the South Magnetic Pole on 16 January 1909
Mawson rests at the side of his sledge, Adelie Land, Antarctica, 1912.
Photo of Douglas Mawson's sledge
Bust of Mawson on North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia in front of the University of Adelaide
The Mawson Laboratories at the University of Adelaide.
