McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Chalmers, R. (Robert J.), 1833-1908
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1833-1908
History
Robert Chalmers was born on December 31, 1833, in Belledune, Glouster County, New Brunswick.
After grade school, he studied teaching. He taught botany and mathematics at Saint John and Campbellton for a dozen years. In 1860, he moved to California and became the principal of Oakland Grammar School. About 1880, he returned to New Brunswick, became the principal of the school in Campbellton and took up journalism. He was an active member of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick and the town's librarian. In the early 1880s, he started to work on geological maps of New Brunswick for the Geological Survey of Canada. In 1895, he continued his mapping of New Brunswick and parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. In 1902, the University of New Brunswick awarded him a Doctorate honoris causa. Chalmers published numerous articles on the glacial history of Eastern Canada.
He died on April 9, 1908, in Ottawa, Ontario.