User:David Kernow/List of Royal Geographical Society Gold Medal recipients (20th century)
This is a list of people awarded the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Founder's and Patron's Gold Medals during the twentieth century. The medals were instituted in 1831 and 1839 respectively, following the establishment of an annual gift of fifty guineas from King William IV to the Society. They are awarded annually "for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery".
Click here for links to nineteenth and twenty-first century recipients.
For each year, the first person listed received the Founder's Medal and the second the Patron's Medal.
| Year | Name | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Luigi Francesco, Duke of the Abruzzi |
"For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare." |
| Donaldson Smith | "For a memorable journey across the unknown parts of Lake Rudolf and the Omo." | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard | "For persistent attention to African geography." |
| Molesworth Sykes | "For journeys in Persia and the support given by him to native explorers." | |
| 1903 | Douglas Freshfield | "In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus." |
| Otto Sverdrup | "For important discoveries in Jones Sound and for the important part he played as captain of the Fram during Dr. Nansen's famous expedition." | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | "For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa." |
| Robert Scott | "For services as leader of the National Antarctic Expedition and his great sledge journey to 82º17'S." | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway | "For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen." |
| C. H. D. Ryder | "For his survey of Yunnan and his work in connection with the Tibet Mission." | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | "...the veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar and for his monumental work on the island in fifty-two large quarto volumes." |
| Robert Bell | "...who during forty-five years of field work has mapped an immense area of Canada previously unknown." | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | "For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes." |
| Roald Amundsen | "For his daring voyage for the purposes of research in the region of the North Magnetic Pole and his first accomplishment by any vessel of the famous Northwest Passage." | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | "For his three years' journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile." |
| Albert I, Prince of Monaco | "For oceanographical studies off the coast of Spitsbergen." | |
| 1909 | Marc Stein | "For his extensive explorations in central Asia, in particular his archaeological work." |
| Milo Talbot | "For the large amount of excellent survey work ... on the Afghan frontier and in the Sudan." | |
| 1910 | Henry Godwin-Austen | "For geographical discoveries and surveys along the northeastern frontier of India, especially his pioneer explorations in the Karakoram." |
| William Bruce | "For explorations in the Arctic and Antarctic." | |
| 1911 | Peter K. Kozloff | "For explorations in the Gobi Desert, northern Tibet and Mongolia." |
| Jean-Baptiste Charcot | "For his important expeditions to the Antarctic, during which he conducted investigations of high scientific value in geology, meteorology, magnetic conditions and biology." | |
| 1912 | Charles Doughty | "For his remarkable exploration in northern Arabia and his classic work in which the results were described." |
| Douglas Carruthers | "For important expeditions to Ruwenzori, Turkestan, Arabia and Mongolia." | |
| 1913 | No Founder's Medal awarded; instead, an inscribed casket was presented to Lady Scott containing the Patron's Medal and Special Antarctic Medal awarded to her late husband. | |
| Edward Wilson | "For his excellent work in the study of the zoology of the Antarctic." | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | "For his advancement of almost every branch of geography, in particular his idea of an international map of the world on the millionth scale." |
| Hamilton Rice | "For his meritorious work on the head waters of the Orinoco and the northern tributaries of the Amazon." | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | "For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition, which achieved highly important scientific results." |
| Filippo de Filippi | "For his great expedition to the Karakoram and eastern Turkestan." | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | "For his contributions to the mapping of South America." |
| Frederick Bailey | "For explorations on the border of India and Tibet ... especially for tracing the course of the Tsangpo/Brahmaputra." | |
| 1917 | David Hogarth | "For explorations in Asiatic Turkey." |
| Cecil Godfrey Rawling | "For explorations in western Tibet and New Guinea." | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | "For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates." |
| Jean Tilho | "For his long-continued surveys and explorations in northern Africa." | |
| 1919 | E. M. Jack | "For his geographical work on the Western Front." |
| William Davis | "For his eminence in the development of physical geography." | |
| 1920 | St. John Philby | "For his two journeys in southern central Arabia." |
| Jovan Cvijić | "For his distinguished studies of the geography of the Balkan Peninsula." | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | "For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean." |
| Robert Bourgeois | "For his long and eminent services to geography and geodesy." | |
| 1922 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury | "For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition." |
| Ernest de Koven Leffingwell | "For surveys and investigations on the coast of northern Alaska." | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | "For exploration and research in the Arctic regions." |
| Miles Cater Smith | "For explorations in the unknown interior of Papua." | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Bey | "For his journey to Kufra and Darfur." |
| Frank Wild | "For his long services to Antarctic exploration." | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | "For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya ... and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922." |
| Alexander Frederick Richmond Wollaston | "For his journeys in central Africa and Dutch New Guinea." | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | "For his distinguished leadership of the 1924 Mount Everest Expedition and his ascent to 28,100 feet." |
| Edgeworth David | "For his work on the Funafuti Atoll and for his leadership of the first ascent of Mount Erebus." | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | "For his connection between the of surveys of India and Russian Turkestan and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition." |
| Lauge Kock | "For his very remarkable six years' exploration of northern Greenland." | |
| 1928 | Tom Longstaff | "For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya." |
| Hubert Wilkins | "For his many years' systematic work in Polar Regions, culminating in his remarkable flight from Point Barrow to Spitsbergen." | |
| 1929 | Francis Rennell Rodd | "For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people." |
| Charles Henry Karius | "For his crossing in Papua from the Fly River to the Sepik." | |
| 1930 | Francis Kingdon-Ward | "For geographical exploration and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet." |
| Carstens Borchgrevink | "For his pioneering Antarctic Expedition, which was first to winter in the Antarctic, to travel on the Ross Barrier and to obtain proof of its recession." | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | "For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali." |
| Richard Byrd | "For his expedition to the Antarctic ... and for his flights over both North and South Poles." | |
| 1932 | Henry George Watkins | "For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition." |
| Duke of Spoleto | "For work in the Himalaya." | |
| 1933 | James Mann Wordie | "For work in Polar explorations." |
| Erich von Drygalski | "For researches in glaciology in the Arctic and Antarctic." | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | "For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933." |
| Ejnar Mikkelsen | "For exploration in the Arctic and his work in Eskimo resettlement in Greenland." | |
| 1935 | Ralph Bagnold | "For journeys in the Libyan Desert." |
| Willi Rickmer Rickmers | "For long-continued travels in the Caucasus, culminating in his leadership of the Alai-Pamir Russo-German Expedition in 1928." | |
| 1936 | George William Murray | "For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and eastern Egypt and his studies of the Bedouin tribes." |
| R. E(velyn?) Cheeseman | "For explorations and surveys of the Blue Nile and Lake Tana." | |
| 1937 | C. G. Lewis | "For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta; and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions." |
| Lincoln Ellsworth | "For his work in developing the technique of aerial navigation in the Polar regions, culminating in his successful flight across the Antarctic." | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | "For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition." |
| Eric Shipton | "For his most distinguished record of mountain climbing." | |
| 1939 | Arthur M. Champion | "For his surveys of the Turkana Province and the volcanoes south of Lake Rudolf." |
| Hans Ahlmann | "For exploration and glaciological studies in the Arctic." | |
| 1940 | Doreen and William Harold Ingrams | "For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut." |
| Alexander Glen | "For his expeditions in Spitsbergen and North East Land." | |
| 1941 | Patrick Clayton | "For his surveys in the Libyan Desert and his application of his experience to desert warfare." |
| Isaiah Bowman | "For his travels in South America and for his great services to the science of geography." | |
| 1942 | Freya Stark | "For her travels in the East and her account of them." |
| Owen Lattimore | "For his travels and studies in central Asia." | |
| 1943 | No medals awarded | |
| 1944 | No medals awarded | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | "For his contributions to the geology of the North." |
| Halford Mackinder | "For his long and distinguished service [to] the advancement of the science of geography." | |
| 1946 | Edward Glennie | "For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East." |
| Henry Larsen | "For his achievement of the Northwest Passage from both west to east and east to west." | |
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | "For research work in Air Survey ... and for his cartographic work." |
| Daniel van der Meulen | "For exploratory journeys in the Hadhramaut and his contributions to the geography of southern Arabia." | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | "For contributions to the geography of southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert." |
| Thomas Manning | "For exploration and survey work in the Arctic." | |
| 1949 | Dudley Stamp | "for his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of geography to national planning." |
| Hans Pettersson | "For his leadership of the recent oceanographical cruise in the Albatross." | |
| 1950 | George Walpole | "For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt." |
| Harald Sverdrup | "For contributions to polar exploration and for oceanographic investigations." | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | "For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50." |
| Donald Thomson | "For geographical exploration and studies in Arnhem Land." | |
| 1952 | William Tilman | "For exploratory work among the mountains of east Africa and central Asia." |
| Paul-Émile Victor | "For contributions to polar exploration and for his geophysical investigations of the Greenland icecap." | |
| 1953 | Patrick Baird | "For explorations in the Canadian Arctic." |
| Eigil Knuth | "For exploration in northern Greenland ... and for his contributions to Eskimo archaeology." | |
| 1954 | John Hunt | "[For his leadership] of the British Mount Everest Expedition." |
| Neil Mackintosh | "For research and exploration in the Southern Ocean." | |
| 1955 | John Wright | "For services in the development of geographical research and exploration." |
| C. J(ames? Jim?) W. Simpson | "[For his leadership] of the British Expedition to north Greenland." | |
| 1956 | John Giaever | "[For his leadership] of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition [and] contributions to polar exploration." |
| Charles Evans | "For contributions to Himalayan exploration." | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | "For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas." |
| George Binney | "For contributions to Arctic exploration, ... the pioneer use of the air survey technique [and] the development of the university exploring expedition." | |
| 1958 | Paul Allman Siple | "For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research." |
| Edmund Hillary | "For Antarctic and Himalayan exploration." | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | "For [commanding] the first transpolar submarine voyage..." |
| Raymond Priestly | "For services to Antarctic exploration." | |
| 1960 | Théodore Monod | "For geographical exploration and research in the Sahara." |
| Phillip Law | "For Antarctic exploration and research." | |
| 1961 | Mikhail M. Somov | "For Antarctic exploration and research." |
| John Bartholomew | "For contributions to cartography." | |
| 1962 | Erwin McDonald | "For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica)." |
| Tom Harrison | "For explorations in central Borneo." | |
| 1963 | Jacques-Yves Cousteau | "For underwater exploration and research." |
| Albert Crary | "For Antarctic research and exploration." | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | "For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in east Africa." |
| Thor Heyerdahl | "For geographical explorations in the South Pacific Ocean." | |
| 1965 | E. F. Rootes | "For polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic." |
| Lester Charles King | "For geomorphological exploration in the Southern Hemisphere." | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | "For botanical exploration in north Borneo and the Solomon Islands." |
| G(eoffrey) Hattersley-Smith | "For glaciological investigations in the Canadian Arctic." | |
| 1967 | Claudio and Orlando Vilas Boas | "For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso." |
| Eduard Imhof | "For contributions to cartography." | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | "For Arctic exploration and research." |
| Augusto Gansser-Biaggi | "For geological exploration and mapping in the Himalaya." | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | "For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science." |
| Raymond Thorsteinsson Edward Tozer |
"For contributions to exploration and economic development in the Canadian Arctic." | |
| 1970 | Walter William Herbert | "For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys." |
| Haroun Tazieff | "For volcanological research and exploration." | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | "For oceanographical research and exploration." |
| Charles Swithinbank | "For glaciological research and exploration." | |
| 1972 | G. S. Ritchie | "For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration." |
| M. D. Gwynne | "[For his leadership of] the RGS South Turkana (Kenya) Expedition." | |
| 1973 | N. L. Falcon | "[For his leadership of] the RGS Musandam (North Oman) Expedition [and] contributions to the geographical history of the Persian Gulf region." |
| E. H. Thompson | "[For contributions to] photogrammetry and surveying." | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | "For mountain explorations." |
| Gordon Robin | "For polar research and exploration." | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | "For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and eastern Africa; and for services to exploration." |
| J(oachim?) P. Kuettner | "For explorations of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans." | |
| 1976 | Brian B. Roberts | "For polar exploration and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation." |
| Edmund Irving | "For services as Hydrographer of the Navy and for his encouragement of exploration." | |
| 1977 | Michael Wise | "For economic geography and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching." |
| Kenneth Hare | "For discoveries in Arctic geography." | |
| 1978 | R. Brown | "For services to the science of map-making." |
| Miezyslaw Klirnaszewski | "For his contributions to geomorphology and international understanding in geography." | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | "For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic geography." |
| Robin Hanbury-Tenison | "For leadership of scientific expeditions, including the Mulu Expedition; and for his work on behalf of primitive peoples." | |
| 1980 | William Mead | |
| Preston James | ||
| 1981 | Keith J. Miller | |
| V(W?)alter Schytt | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | |
| Douglas Warren | ||
| 1983 | Peter Scott | |
| John Young | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | |
| Pierre Gourou | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | |
| Walter Smith | ||
| 1986 | Timothy Severin | |
| Peter Haggett | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Laughton | |
| Richard Chorley | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | |
| Nigel de N. Winser | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen | |
| Keith Michael Clayton | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | |
| Richard Leakey | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | |
| Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | |
| Martin Holdgate | ||
| 1993 | Kenneth Gregory | |
| John Blashford-Snell | ||
| 1994 | Ronald Cooke | |
| Ghillean Prance | ||
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook (see Earl of Cranbrook) | |
| David Harvey | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | |
| John Thornes | ||
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | |
| David Rhind | ||
| 1998 | Robert Bennett | |
| David Drewry | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | |
| Doug Scott | ||
| 2000 | Brian Robson | |
| Crispin Tickell | ||
| 2001 | William Graf | |
| Reinhold Messner | ||
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | |
| David Keeble | ||
| 2003 | Mike Goodchild | |
| Harish Kapadia | ||
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | |
| Sydney Possuelo | ||
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | |
| Jean Malaurie | ||
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | |
| Jack Ives | ||
| 2007 | Roger Barry | |
| Paul Curran | ||
| 2008 | Julian Dowdeswell | |
| Jesse Walker | ||
| 2009 | Alan Baker | |
| Nicholas Stern | ||
See also[edit]
- List of explorers
- List of Royal Geographical Society Gold Medal recipients (19th century)
- List of Royal Geographical Society Gold Medal recipients (21st century)
Source[edit]
- Gold Medal Recipients, from Previous recipients, Royal Geographical Society, accessed 25/01/2010