The American Geographical Society was formed by several wealthy New Yorkers in 1851.
The primary objective of the AGS was the collection, diffusion, and advancement of
geographical science. The founders all shared an interest in polar exploration,
particularly with the search for Sir John Franklin. A committee was formed in 1851
to draft a constitution, and the AGS was officially established when they were
granted a charter by the State of New York in 1854. Originally known as the American
Geographical and Statistical Society, the AGS amended its charter in 1871 and
dropped the "and Statistical" from its name. Initially headquartered at New York
University in Washington Square, the AGS moved around to several different New York
locations before settling at Audubon Terrace in 1911, and remained there for over 80
years.
In order to contribute to geographical knowledge, the AGS either led and organized
expeditions by its own staff, participated in expeditions led by others, or
supported the expeditions of others. The support they offered would come in the form
of financial contributions or technical assistance. While there was a focus on the
polar regions and Latin America, the AGS was involved in expeditions across the
globe. The AGS expected the expeditions they supported and their subsequent
publications to produce scientific results. Some notable expeditions were the
Transcontinental Excursion of 1912, which helped acquaint European geographers with
their American counterparts, Robert Peary's Polar expeditions, and Isaac Israel
Hayes' Open Polar Sea expedition in 1860.
The AGS has undertaken numerous projects and overseen research studies to help
achieve its goal to spread and increase geographical knowledge. During World War I,
they participated in the Inquiry and Paris Peace Conference of 1919, which saw the
AGS building serve as a headquarters that gathered and analyzed data, and ultimately
led to the preparation of maps for the peace negotiations following the war. From
1920 to 1945, they created the Map of Hispanic America 1:1,000,000, producing 107
map sheets of the area as part of an international project to map the world on this
scale. World War II saw the AGS assist the government once again. As part of the war
effort, the AGS contributed geographical data to various U.S. agencies and
departments.
With several publications, the AGS provides an outlet for dispersing new findings in
geography. These publications include the Geographical
Review, a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, which began in 1916 and
evolved out of earlier titles such as the Bulletin of the
American Geographical Society, and covers all aspects of geography;
Focus in Geography, a short journal that covers a
range of related topics aimed at a broad audience; and Ubique, a newsletter that informs readers about AGS news and events.
The AGS also awards medals and honors to geographers, explorers, geologists,
aviators, and other individuals from related fields. Recipients have included Robert
Peary, Theodore Roosevelt, Neil Armstrong, and Richard Hartshorne.
Amidst financial difficulty, the library and map collections, which include books,
journals, maps, charts, globes, pamphlets, photographs, atlases, and more, were
transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1978 and have resided there
ever since. Shortly after that, with their operations scaled down, the AGS moved out
of its longtime headquarters at Audubon Terrace. The AGS is now currently located in
Brooklyn, New York. They continue to uphold their objectives by contributing to the
field of geography with lectures, publications, and supporting expeditions. They
also promote its use in education, business, government, and science in order to
improve the country's geographic literacy and to benefit the world today.
AGS Directors
| 1915-1935 |
Isaiah Bowman
|
| 1938-1949 |
John K. Wright
|
| 1950-1953 |
George H.T. Kimble
|
| 1953-1966 |
Charles B. Hitchcock
|
| 1967-1969 |
Shannon McCune
|
| 1970-1973 |
Burton W. Adkinson
|
| 1973-1976 |
Robert B. McNee
|
| 1976-1982 |
Sarah K. Myers
|
| 1983-2010 |
Mary Lynne Bird
|
| 2012-2013 |
Timothy E. Heleniak
|
| 2013- |
John Konarski III
|
