Leith was born in
Trempealeau (village), Wisconsin.[2][3] He was hired by
Charles R. Van Hise as a stenographer in 1892 to work on his publications, and was so taken by the work that he completed a
bachelor's degree in geology at the University of Wisconsin in 1897[4] and a
Ph.D. in 1901. In 1903, when
Van Hise became president of the University of Wisconsin, he hired Leith as head of the geology department at the age of 28. Leith served as chair until 1934 (31 years), and remained with the department until he retired in 1945.[2] He also lectured on structural and metamorphic geology at the
University of Chicago beginning in 1905.[3]
During a 1909 expedition in the
Hudson Bay area, Leith and his brother Arthur were feared lost after departing from
Moose Factory.[5][6][7] However, Leith later telegraphed his safe arrival in
Cochrane, Ontario.[8] Leith's early research focused on the geology of the
Lake Superior region, including the ore deposits of the
Mesabi range. He served as a consultant for the location and valuation of ore deposits for several mining companies and served as mineral adviser to the
U.S. Shipping Board and the
War Industries Board during
World War I.[2][4] He organized studies of world mineral supplies in the 1920s and served on many government agencies, including the
Atomic Energy Commission, through the 1950s.[2]
^Eckel, Edwin. The Geological Society of America: Life History of a Learned Society. Boulder, Co.: Geological Society of America Memoir 155, p. 115.
ISBN0-8137-1155-X.
^Eckel, Edwin. The Geological Society of America: Life History of a Learned Society. Boulder, Co.: Geological Society of America Memoir 155, p. 160.
ISBN0-8137-1155-X.