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Johan August Udden Johan August Udden, having already been recruited to the then-called Bureau of Economic Geology and Technology in 1911 by his friend and current director William Battle Phillips, became the second director of the Bureau upon Phillips’ departure in 1915. Udden was hired as the Bureau’s first field geologist. His first assignment was to prepare a report on the oil and gas fields of Wichita and Clay Counties.
Born in Lekasa, Sweden, on March 19, 1859, Udden moved with his family as a child to Minnesota and attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, from which he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1881. He taught natural science and civics, among other subjects, at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, from 1881 to 1888 and also edited the local newspaper. He earned his M.A. degree from Augustana College in 1889 and was a professor of natural history and geology there from 1888 to 1911. He taught courses in |
botany, zoology, astronomy, physiology, meteorology, and geology during his tenure at Augustana College. He also conducted research and published detailed reports on the areal geology of five counties in Iowa, five quadrangles in Illinois, and three large areas of Texas. While at Augustana College, Udden worked for several geological surveys during the summer months: special assistant to the Iowa Geological Survey (1897–1903), assistant geologist for the University of Texas Mineral Survey (1903, 1904), and geologist of the Illinois Geological Survey (1906–11). He also worked as a special agent of the U.S. Geological Survey from 1908 to 1914. Convinced that his move to Texas from Illinois would bring him ample career satisfaction, Udden left behind a comfortable faculty position. In a letter to a journal editor in 1920, he confirmed the merit of his decision and envisioned the vast research opportunities on the horizon for the Bureau in the decades ahead: “I am firmly of the opinion that there will be interesting geologic work to do in Texas for a whole century to come.” Several honorary degrees were conferred upon Udden: Doctor of Philosophy (1900) and Doctor of Laws (1929), Augustana College; Doctor of Science (1921), Bethany College, and (1923) Texas Christian University. He was also an honorary member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists. In recognition of his distinguished service to science, in 1911 Udden was decorated by King Oscar II of Sweden with the Swedish Order of the North Star. He published some 100 scientific articles on topics in his areas of interest, among them stratigraphic and areal geology, atmosphere, till in the upper Mississippi valley, and clastic sediments. During Udden's tenure the Texas oil industry was emerging. He recognized early a symbiotic relationship where the Bureau would concentrate on regional geologic questions and studies to help the practicing petroleum geologist put local questions in perspective, a relationship that still exists. Udden was the first scientist to predict the potential for oil in the Permian Basin, especially in the Trans-Pecos, which led directly to the drilling of Santa Rita No. 1 in 1923—the first discovery on University Lands—and the enlargement of the Permanent University Fund. Udden was also the first to recognize the scientific utility of well cuttings. A pioneer in subsurface exploration, he studied driller’s logs and demonstrated the importance of laboratory examination of drill cuttings in the exploration for oil, gas, and water. He developed the first applied micropaleontology lab, and his work led the major oil companies to hire their own micropaleontologists. Udden was also among the first to recognize the value of applied seismology in oil and gas exploration. As director of the Bureau Udden was a champion of basic research and areal mapping. Udden became a member of the graduate faculty of the University of Texas in 1929. He served as director of the Bureau until his death on January 5, 1932, in Austin, Texas. |
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