William Henry Collins

William Henry Collins (October 26, 1878 – January 14, 1937) was a Canadian geologist. He was educated at the University of Toronto, Heidelberg University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His 31-year career with the Geological Survey of Canada included 16 years as Director of the Survey. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and served as President of the Society's geological and biological sciences section. He was also President of the Geological Society of America and an elected member of the American Philosophical Society.

Early life and education

Collins was born October 26, 1878, to Ann Deavitt and Henry Meredith Collins, on their farm near Chatsworth, Ontario. His mother was descended from French Huguenots who had settled and developed Chatsworth, and his father was of English descent. He was the oldest of four boys. His mother died when he was 10 years old.

From an early age Collins loved the outdoors, spending much of his free time there. After graduating from the Owen Sound Collegiate Institute he spent a year as principal of the school in Chatsworth. He began a relationship with the teacher of the primary school, Agnes McGill, whom he would later marry. There he studied geology under Arthur Philemon Coleman and earned a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in 1904. After a year as a research assistant in the Department of Mineralogy, he did graduate studies at Heidelberg University under Harry Rosenbusch, at the University of Chicago, and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1911. with a particular focus on the Huronian Supergroup.

In 1920 Collins was named Director of the Geological Survey. In this position he led a project to map all of Canada on a scale of 8 miles to 1 inch. He also incorporated aviation, then a relatively new tool for geologists, into the work of the Survey. In 1934 he was President of the Geological Society of America.

Death

Collins suffered health problems long before his death, undergoing a major operation as early as 1926. Nonetheless he carried on with field work for some time before succumbing to kidney failure on January 14, 1937.