HITCHCOCK, EDWARD American geolo gist and educator, was born at Deerfield, Mass., on May An interest in science led him to pursue a course in chemistry and geology at Yale under the elder Silliman and also to under take a scientific survey of the western counties of Massachusetts. In 1825 he became the first professor of natural history at Am herst college and until 1845 was the sole instructor in all scientific subjects at that institution. In 1845 he became the third presi dent of the college, and from then until his death in 1864 was professor of geology and natural theology.
In 1830 he was appointed State geologist of Massachusetts and conducted the first government geological survey of the State. A resurvey was also made by him from 1837 to when his final report was published. In 1857 he was appointed State geologist of Vermont, and the results of his geological sur vey of that State were published in 1862. He made the first de tailed study of the fossil footprints from Triassic sandstones of the Connecticut valley, and convinced eminent geologists that they were those of prehistoric birds, lizards, insects, etc. He died at Amherst on Feb. 27, 1864.
His son, CHARLES HENRY HITCHCOCK (1836-1919), aided him in the Vermont survey and became professor of geology at Dart mouth college. In 1911 he published Hawaii and its Volcanoes.