Gordon P. Eaton
Dr. Gordon P. Eaton (1929-2022) served as the 12th Director of the United States Geological Survey from 1994 to 1997.
Before being named USGS Director, Dr. Eaton served as the Director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in Palisades, New York, from 1990 to 1994. From 1986 to 1990, Dr. Eaton was President of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. And from 1967 to 1981, Dr. Eaton held various positions with USGS, including Associate Chief Geologist, Reston, Virginia; Scientist-in-charge, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii; Project Chief, Geothermal Geophysics, Branch of Theoretical and Applied Geophysics, Denver, Colorado; Deputy Chief, Office of Geochemistry and Geophysics, Washington, D.C. and Reston, Virginia; and Project Chief, Southwestern Geophysics Project, Regional Geophysics Branch, Denver, Colorado.
Dr. Eaton was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geological Society of America, and the American Geophysical Union. He was a member of the committee on the formation of the National Biological Survey and National Research Council. Dr. Eaton has also served on the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council.
As Director, Eaton overcame attempts to abolish the USGS while leading the bureau through a significant downsizing and restructuring. Establishing an integrated approach to science, he oversaw the incorporation into the USGS of the former National Biological Service and part of the former Bureau of Mines. A key priority of Dr. Eaton’s was to provide an increased emphasis on the bureau’s responsiveness to customers.
Dr. Eaton graduated from Wesleyan University, with high Honors and High Distinction with a B.A. in Geology in 1951; received an M.S. in Geology from the California Institute of Technology in 1953; and a Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics in 1957 from the California Institute of Technology.