Born to Richard Anslem and Glovy Washington Munford Wrather in Bradenburg, Kentucky, William Embry Wrather (1883-1963) entered the University of Chicago in 1903 with the intention of becoming a lawyer. Instead, he was drawn to geology and graduated in 1907 with a Ph.B. in the subject. In 1910, Wrather married Alice Mildred Dalling, with whom he had two daughters. In 1908, he moved Texas to work as an oil field geologist and scout for the J. M. Guffey Company and in 1916 became an independent consultant, contributing to the discovery of the Desdemona Oil Field two years later. Wrather served as president of both the Texas Geological Society and Texas Historical Association and was called to Washington in 1942 to serve as Associate Chief of the Metals and Minerals Division of the Board of Economic Warfare. The following year, he became Director of the U. S. Geological Survey, a position he held until 1956.
Source:
Brantley, J. E. “Memorial to William Embry Wrather.”
Comprising a biographical sketch, a letter, and a report, the William Embry Wrather Collection, 1904, 1942, undated, documents the lives of Wrather and his wife Alice. Several copies of an undated biographical sketch discuss his professional career, leadership activities, non-professional interests, and family. A 1942 letter to Alice from her niece concerns family activities and World War II, while a 1904 Hyde Park High School grade report relates to her upbringing in Chicago.
This collection is open for research use.
William Embry Wrather Collection, 1904, 1942, undated, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.