George Cressey
| George Babcock Cressey | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | December 15, 1896 Tiffin, Ohio |
| Died |
October 21, 1963 (aged 66) Syracuse, New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Fields |
Geography Geology |
| Institutions | Shanghai College Syracuse University |
| Alma mater |
Denison University University of Chicago Clark University |
| Notable awards | Davidson Gold Medal of the American Geographical Society Phi Beta Kappa National Visiting Scholar |
George Babcock Cressey (December 15, 1896 – October 21, 1963) was an American geographer, author, and academic. Born in Tiffin, Ohio, he attended Denison University and then the University of Chicago, where he received a PhD in geology. After receiving his degree, he taught at Shanghai college and traveled widely in China. Upon his return to the United States in 1929, he completed a pioneering book on the country, China's Geographic Foundations.
In 1931, Cressey received a second PhD from Clark University in geography. He then joined the faculty of Syracuse University, where he remained for the rest of his professional career. At Syracuse, Cressey wrote on a variety of subjects, but focused on "population problems as related to the worldwide distribution of land and arable resources," and primarily studied Asia, though he traveled to 75 countries on six continents (all but Australia), over the course of his career. Cressey also served as chair of the department and helped to develop the geography graduate program at Syracuse into one of the best in the country.
In addition to his academic work, Cressey consulted for the US Department of State, the Board of Economic Warfare, and the Military Intelligence Corps during World War II. After the war, he was also an outspoken advocate of better relations with Communist China and traveled widely in East Asia and the Middle East with a variety of fellowships. Cressey was also highly involved in a number of professional organizations, serving as President of the International Geographical Union, the Association for Asian Studies, and the Association of American Geographers.
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