File:John_Muir_Watkins_Portrait_circa_1875_Edit.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
John Muir was a Scottish-American naturalist who lived from 1838 to 1914 and became a prominent voice for wilderness preservation and environmental conservation. His writings and advocacy helped shape how Americans understood and valued their natural landscapes, particularly the mountains and forests of the American West.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- John
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom
- Place of birth
- Dunbar
- Place of death
- Los Angeles
- Educated at
- University of Wisconsin System
- Employer
- James Mason Hutchings
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Religion
- Christianity
- Field of work
- ecology
- Movement
- environmentalism
- Sport
- mountaineering
- Country for sport
- Scotland
- Image
- Muir portrait 1872.jpg
- Number of children
- 2
- Work location
- Indianapolis
- Residence
- Portage
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- John Muir
- date of birth
- 1838-04-21
- date of death
- 1914-12-24
- cause of death
- pneumonia
- topic's main category
- Category:John Muir
- manner of death
- natural causes
- Commons gallery
- John Muir
- Commons Creator page
- John Muir
- writing language
- English language
- P6944
- John Muir
- name in native language
- John Muir
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Encyclopedic overview
John Muir (/mjʊər/ MURE; April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States.
His books, letters and essays describing his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada, have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley and Sequoia National Park, and his example has served as an inspiration for the preservation of many other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he co-founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to his wife and the preservation of the Western forests. As part of the campaign to make Yosemite a national park, Muir published two landmark articles on wilderness preservation in The Century Magazine, "The Treasures of the Yosemite" and "Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park"; this helped support the push for the US Congress to pass a bill in 1890 establishing Yosemite National Park. The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings has inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “John Muir” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.