VAN HISE, CHARLES RICHARD

born May 29, 1857, Fulton, Wis., U.S. died Nov. 19, 1918, Milwaukee U.S. geologist who conducted basic geological studies of the Precambrian (570,000,000 to 4,600,000,000 years ago) formations of the Lake Superior region, particularly the iron ores in these formations. These studies were useful for the economic exploitation of the vast iron-ore fields found in that region. From 1879 Van Hise taught at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, of which he became president in 1903. During his term (which ended with his death), the university's research and extension programs were greatly expanded, and enrollment nearly trebled. He was also deeply concerned with broad social problems, as is seen in Conservation of Natural Resources in the United States (1910) and Concentration and Control: A Solution of the Trust Problem in the United States (1912).