John Wesley Powell

John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was a U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He is famous for his 1869 geographic expedition, a three-month river trip down the Green and Colorado rivers, including the first official U.S. government-sponsored passage through the Grand Canyon. Powell was appointed by US president James A. Garfield to serve as the second director of the U.S. Geological Survey (1881–1894)