The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Shepard, Charles Upham

SHEPARD, Charles Upham, American mineralogist: b. Little Compton, R. I., 29 June 1804; d. Charleston, S. C., 1 May 1886. He was graduated from Amherst in 1824 and made a special study of botany and mineralogy in the following year. He was lecturer on natural history at Yale in 1830-47, occupied the chair of chemistry at the Medical College of South Carolina in 1854-61 and resumed it a few years after the Civil War. He was professor of chemistry and natural history at Amherst in 1845-52, and from 1852-77 was lecturer on natural history, after which he was made professor emeritus. His investigations resulted in the discovery of a new species of microlite in in 1835, of warwickite in 1838, and of danburite in 1839, and he was also the discoverer of valuable deposits of phosphate of lime near Charleston which have proved of great value to agriculture, and their use in the manufacture of superphosphate fertilizers has made an important addition to the chemical industries of South Carolina. His collection of minerals was at one time the best in the country, but was unfortunately partially destroyed by fire three years after its purchase by Amherst in 1877. In addition to his numerous scientific papers his publications include ‘Report on the Geological Survey of Connecticut’ (1837); ‘Treatise on Mineralogy’ (1855), etc.