influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness
1838 CE
to 1914 CE
John Muir (April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", is an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States of America.
His letters, essays, and books describing his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada, have been read by millions.
His activism has helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and 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 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 U.S. 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.
Muir is noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and religious prophet, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for countless individuals, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental consciousness.
On April 21, 2013, the first ever John Muir Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of his birth, paying homage to the conservationist.
