Marsh, George Perkins (1801–1882)

George Perkins Marsh was a polymath, scholar, and diplomat. He was a well-known scholar in North America in the mid 1800s, published several notable works on the origins and history of the English language, and had an extensive knowledge of 20 languages. It is ironic, therefore, that he is best remembered for his seminal work Man and Nature; or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action, since he had no formal training in physical geography or ecology. Drawing on his keen observations growing up in Vermont and his subsequent travels in the Middle East, Marsh was the first to demonstrate that human activities have extensive, adverse impacts on the physical environment. Thus, Marsh is considered by many to be the first environmentalist.

Marsh was born in Woodstock, Vermont, in 1801. He was the fifth child of Charles Marsh, a district attorney under John Adams. George was a voracious, early reader, but he suffered an eye affliction when he was 8 years old that plagued him for the rest of his life. As a result, he developed a prodigious memory and an abiding love of the outdoors. Marsh pursued a variety of careers with varying degrees of success, including teacher, lawyer, editor, farmer, politician, and diplomat. In 1825, he established a law practice in Burlington, Vermont, which gave him an entrée into the world of politics. He served as a congressman in Washington, D.C. (1843–1849), where he helped establish the Smithsonian Institution. During his time as U.S. Minister to Turkey (1849–1854), he also traveled through Egypt and Palestine collecting specimens for the Smithsonian and noting evidence of human impacts on the environment. From 1861 until his death in 1882, he served as U.S. ambassador to Italy.

Man and Nature was published in 1864, but Marsh identified the underlying themes many years earlier in Vermont. He had observed that after the forests were cleared, springs dried up and excessive runoff after storms caused extensive erosion. Marsh was concerned not merely that humans were disturbing the balance of nature but that the cumulative damages so wrought would eventually harm society. His observations in Europe confirmed his theories but also indicated possible management solutions. Marsh was not a strict conservationist, but he blended a reverence for nature from transcendentalism with a good dose of Vermont practicality. He advocated taming nature for human needs through careful management.

Man and Nature was well received by scientists, policymakers, and the public, and it was instrumental in creating the national forest system in the United States and promoting improved forest management practices in the United States and Europe. Man and Nature remains a relevant and enduring classic.