Maury, << MAWR ee, >> Matthew Fontaine (1806-1873), was a United States naval officer and scientist who did much to improve ocean travel. He has been called the Pathfinder of the Seas. Maury spent years collecting information on winds and currents. His Wind and Current Charts formed the basis for all pilot charts issued by the U.S. government. His Explanations and Sailing Directions, which accompanied the charts, enabled ship operators to save time and money on voyages. Maury’s Physical Geography of the Sea and Its Meteorology was the first textbook of modern oceanography. In the 1850’s, Maury helped lay a transatlantic telegraph cable.
Maury entered the Navy as a midshipman in 1825. He took charge of the Navy Department’s Depot of Charts and Instruments in 1842. In this position, he helped develop the Naval Observatory and the Hydrographic Office. He became a commander, effective in 1855.
During the American Civil War, Maury joined the Confederate forces. He was in charge of all coast, harbor, and river defenses. The Confederacy sent him to England as a special envoy. While there, he perfected an electric mine for harbor defense. After the war, he tried unsuccessfully to set up a colony of Virginians in Mexico. Later, he went to England, where he wrote textbooks and received honors and financial aid. When President Andrew Johnson pardoned Confederate leaders in 1868, Maury returned home. He became a professor of meteorology at the Virginia Military Institute.
Maury was born near Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 1930, he was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.
