ABSTRACT

Early geography in the United States has a rich history, though not always understood or acknowledged. One American geographer in the pre-Humboldt era who has been largely overlooked is Columbia University’s John Daniel Gross, who has been described as “arguably the first American professional geographer.” The purpose of this research is to shed more light on this eighteenth-century geographer. Evidence suggests that, unlike some other prominent geographers of their day who subsequently became relegated to obscurity, Gross displayed neither controversial views nor a personality that conflicted with more powerful contemporary rivals. Instead, although geographical, synchronistic, epistemological, and personal attributes make it seem likely that his work created a bridge to the new geography of Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Ritter, his work and reputation appear to have been overshadowed by that of the “new geography.” The demise of Ivy League geography appears to have cemented his lost legacy.

摘要

美国的早期地理学有着丰富的历史，尽管并不总是被理解或承认。哥伦比亚大学的约翰·丹尼尔·格罗斯 (John Daniel Gross) 是前洪堡时代一位在很大程度上被忽视的美国地理学家，他被描述为“可以说是美国第一位专业地理学家”。这项研究的目的是进一步了解这位 18 世纪的地理学家。有证据表明，与当时其他一些后来变得默默无闻的著名地理学家不同，格罗斯既没有表现出有争议的观点，也没有表现出与更强大的当代竞争对手发生冲突的个性。相反，尽管地理的、共时的、认识论的和个人的属性使他的作品看起来很可能为亚历山大·冯·洪堡和卡尔·里特的新地理学架起了一座桥梁，他的工作和声誉似乎已被“新地理学”所掩盖。常春藤盟校地理的消亡似乎巩固了他失去的遗产。