Abraham Pineo Gesner

Abraham Pineo Gesner, ONB
Abraham Pineo Gesner
Born	May 2, 1797 (1797-05-02) Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	April 29, 1864(1864-04-29) (aged 66) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Residence	Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nationality	Canadian
Fields	Geology, Medicine
Institutions	Government of New Brunswick North American Kerosene Gas Light Company
Alma mater	Guy's Hospital Medical School St Bartholomew's Hospital Dalhousie University
Known for	Inventing kerosene

Abraham Pineo Gesner, ONB (/ˈɡɛsnər/; May 2, 1797 – April 29, 1864) was a Canadian physician and geologist who invented kerosene. Gesner was born in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia and lived much of his life in Saint John, New Brunswick. He died in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was an influential figure in the development of the study of Canadian geology and natural history.

Born to a well-established farming family in the Annapolis Valley, Gesner pursued a career at sea from a young age. Twice shipwrecked by his early twenties, Gesner returned to the family farm near Chipman Corner, northeast of Kentville. He married Harriet Webster, the daughter of Kentville's Dr. Isaac Webster in 1824, then went to London to study medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital under Sir Astley Paston Cooper, then surgery at Guy's Hospital under John Abernethy. While in London, he became interested in geology, making the acquaintance of Charles Lyell.

Returning to Parrsboro as a practising physician, Gesner also pursued his passion for geology. In 1836, he published a study on the mineralogy of Nova Scotia, which included a detailed geological map providing information on the key deposits of iron ore and coal in Nova Scotia. In 1838, he was appointed Provincial Geologist for New Brunswick, charged with the mission to undertake a similar geological survey. In the course of this survey, in 1839 Gesner discovered the bituminous asphalt substance albertite, which he named after Albert County, New Brunswick where it was found.