Jackson, John Brinckerhoff (1909–1996)

Although not officially a geographer, J. B. Jackson was widely revered as an insightful and prolific analyst of cultural landscapes. Dominating mid-20th-century scholarship on this topic, he was claimed by several disciplines, including landscape architecture, geography, history, literature, and American studies.

Born in France, Jackson spent much of his early life in Europe, including school in Switzerland, as well as the Washington, D.C., area. Later, he went for 1 year to the Experimental College of the University of Wisconsin and then to Harvard, where he completed his BA in 1932. In the military as an intelligence officer during World War II, he acquired cartographic skills and a mastery of aerial photo interpretation, which likely fueled his interest in landscape formation and meaning. Jackson's understanding of cultural ...