Benson, William Noel (1885 - 1957)

Summary

William Benson was one of the most notable geologists in Australia and New Zealand in the first half of the twentieth century. He research in New South Wales included pioneering studies on the composition and origins of the Great Serpentine Belt. In New Zealand he made detailed studies of the petrology in the South Island, and evolved new ideas on New Zealand geomorphology. He was also interested in the palaeography and structure of Pacific margin. Benson was lecturer at the University of Sydney before becoming Professor of Geology at the University of Otago in 1917, a position he held for over 30 years. He published over 100 papers and received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to Australian and New Zealand geology. His participation in scientific societies included as President of Section C (Geology) of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science and of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Details

Chronology

1907

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Sydney

1908

Career position - Lecturer in mineralogy and petrology, University of Adelaide

1909 - 1911

Career position - Demonstrator, Geology Department, University of Sydney

1913

Education - BA (Research), University of Cambridge

1913

Life event - Travellling in Europe

1914 - 1916

Award - Linnean Macleay Fellowship (Geology), for study at the University of Sydney

1915 - 1917

Career position - Lecturer, Geology Department, University of Sydney

1916

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Sydney

1917 - 1951

Career position - Professor of Geology, University of Otago, New Zealand

1921

Career position - President, Section C (Geology and Mineralogy), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science

1933

Award - Lyell Fund, Geological Society of London

1933

Award - Hector Medal, Royal Society of New Zealand

1939

Award - Lyell Medal, Geological Society of London

1944

Award - Hutton Medal, Royal Society of New Zealand

1945

Award - Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales

1945 - 1947

Career position - President, Royal Society of New Zealand

1951

Award - Mueller Medal, ANZAAS

1951

Career event - Retired

1951 - 1957

Award - Honorary Member, Mineralogical Society of London

1951 - 1957

Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)

Related entries

Published resources

Conference Papers

• Barkas, J. P.; Aitchison, J. C., 'The Great Serpentine Belt of New South Wales: Evolution of Ideas from Benson through Vallance to the Present', in Useful and Curious Geological Enquiries Beyond the World: Pacific-Asia Historical Themes: The 19th International INHIGEO Symposium, Sydney, Australia, 4-8 July, 1994 edited by D. F. Branagan and G. H. McNally (Sydney: International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences, 1994), pp. 241-247.. Details

Journal Articles

• Anon, 'Obituary [W. N. Benson]', Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 92 (1964), 97-108. Details
• Benson, W. R., 'William Noel Benson, 1885-1957', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 84 (1959), 403-409. Details
• Benson, William Noel, 'The geology and petrology of the Great Serpentine Belt of New South Wales, part 1', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 38 (1913), 490-517. Details
• Benson, William Noel, 'Notes on the geology of the Cradle Mountain district, with a bibliography of the Pleistocene glaciation of Tasmania', Papers and proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 1916 (1917), 29-43. Details
• Browne, W. R., 'Obituary: Professor W. N. Benson, FRS', Australian Journal of Science, 20 (6) (1958), 175-176. Details
• Hills, E. S., 'William Noel Benson', Biographical memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 4 (1958), 27-33, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbm.1958.0003. Details
• Mayer, Wolf, 'William Noel Benson (1885-1957): Insights into the Life and Work of an Eminent Geologist', Earth Sciences History, 32 (1) (2013), 55-85. Details
• W. R. B. [ie William R. Browne], 'William Noel Benson, 1885 - 1957 (Memorial series, no. 16)', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 84 (3) (1960), 403-9. Details

Resources

• Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society [Online resource], Royal Society of London, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbm.1958.0003. Details
• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q8016163. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/19362211. Details
• 'Benson, William Noel (1885-1957)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1476140. Details

Resource Sections

• Campbell, J. D., 'Benson, Gertrude Helen and Benson, William Noel', in Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, 1998. https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4b24/benson-gertrude-helen. Details