Fontaine, William Morris, 1835-1913

William Morris Fontaine was born on December 1, 1835, in Louisa County, Virginia.

He was a naturalist, army officer, educator, and author. He attended the University of Virginia and during the Civil War (1861-1865), he served as Confederate staff officer and later Chief ordnance officer for the Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. After the war, Fontaine studied at Freiburg Mining Academy in Heidelburg, Germany. He was appointed Professor of Chemistry and Geology at West Virginia University from 1873 to 1878 and Professor of Natural History and Geology at the University of Virginia from 1878 until 1911. He was an avid student of fossil floras and he published numerous articles and books on the Mesozoic floras of Virginia.

He died on April 29, 1913, in Charlottesville, Virginia.