Mawson, Douglas (May 5, 1882 - October 14, 1958)

Douglas Mawson (May 5, 1882 – October 14, 1958) was an Australian geologist and explorer who played an important role in the exploration of Antarctica in the early 20th century. He studied geology and mining before taking a professor position at the University of Adelaide. In 1907 – 1909, he joined Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition, which reached to the furthest south latitude of any expedition to that point. Mawson's party of the expedition was very successful, reaching the South Magnetic Pole and climbing Mt. Erebus. Afterwards, he was appointed to lead the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911–1914). Unfortunately, Mawson's two companions during that expedition perished. He led another expedition in 1929 – 1931 which claimed a significant portion of the Antarctic for Australia. Mawson's work and those of his colleagues led to many important discoveries about the geography, geology, and biology of the Antarctic.