Adams, Harriet Chalmers (1875–1937)
Adams, Harriet Chalmers (1875–1937)
American explorer and lecturer. Born in Stockton, California, on October 22, 1875; died in Nice, France, on July 17, 1937.
While traveling through Mexico, Harriet Chalmers Adams became a student of Latin American affairs in 1900, after which she made a three-year journey through Central and South America. She traveled 40,000 miles, visiting every country, and reaching many points previously unknown to any white woman. After lecturing in the United States from 1906 to 1908, she crossed Haiti on horseback in 1910. Adams then traveled through the Philippines, and from Siberia to Sumatra, studying ancient races.
In 1916, Adams was a war correspondent at the French front, and she returned to the United States in 1917 to continue her lectures. In 1925, she organized, and became the first president of, the Society of Women Geographers. Adams wrote regularly for National Geographic and was a fellow and member of various geographical and scientific associations throughout the world.