When first asked to name famous land surveyors, most people assume that there aren’t any. However, this is far from the truth. In fact, there are many famous land surveyors throughout history, though they usually achieve fame for other activities. In fact, most professionals from centuries ago worked concurrently in several different professions, such as politics, military careers, exploration, or land surveying. In fact, several U.S. Presidents may be found among the ranks of famous land surveyors.

Did you know that George Washington was a land surveyor? At the age of 17, future president George Washington was appointed as the Surveyor General in Virginia in 1749. In that year, the English colony of Virginia planned to promote expansion by offering land speculators a thousand acres for every family they could convince to move west. He became the first Registered County Surveyor in America.

Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught African American mathematician, astronomer, and surveyor, was appointed in 1789 by President George Washington to survey the area which would become Washington D.C. The project to survey the national capital was completed between 1791 and 1793. Like many land surveyors of this time, he also enjoyed several other professional pursuits at the same time, including clock making and publishing an almanac.

Another famous surveyor, Thomas Jefferson, was also a U.S. President later in life. He was appointed County Surveyor for Albermarle County in Virginia in 1773. As Secretary of State under George Washington, and later as President, his appointment of surveyors later gave the young nation the direction to promote the settlement of the frontier. One of his most famous acts as president was in organizing the Lewis & Clark Expedition to explore and survey the west. Meriwether Lewis & William Clark, who explored the area of the Louisiana Purchase from 1804 to 1806, contributed greatly to land surveying in America. They mapped the area with considerable accuracy for the time period, allowing for the western expansion of the United States.

Daniel Boone, who lived from 1734 to 1820, is famous for his pioneering and exploration, like Lewis and Clark. He, too, was a land surveyor. Most of his land surveying efforts occurred in Kentucky, to resolve settlers’ claims to land titles. British explorer Captain James Cook, who was born in 1728, sailed into every ocean. Not only did he explore, but he also surveyed the areas he found. These are just a few of the land surveyors who you may not have realized were land surveyors, as they achieved fame as explorers and not land surveyors.

Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon’s land surveying efforts survive in the “Mason-Dixon line”, the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania. This line divided the “slave states” from the “free states” during debates in Congress over the Missouri Compromise in 1820. Today, this line is still used to distinguish the South from the North.

Another president to previously hold a position as land surveyor was Abraham Lincoln, who served as Deputy County Surveyor, as well as Postmaster and operator of a general store. In fact, Lincoln was working as a surveyor when he was elected to the Illinois legislature at the beginning of his political career.

George Washington – (1732 to 1799) Commander – in-Chief of Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, First President of the United States. In 1749 Washington was appointed Official Surveyor for Culpeper County in Western Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson – (1743 to 1826) Author of the Declaration of Independence, Third President of the United States. In 1773 Jefferson was appointed Surveyor for Abemarle County in Virginia.

Abraham Lincoln – (1809 to 1865) Sixteenth President of the United States, Lawyer. In 1833 Lincoln was appointed Surveyor for Sangamon County in Illinois.  Lincoln surveyed roads, town lots, boundary lines and settled boundary disputes.

Henry David Thoreau – (1817 to 1862) American Author, Poet, Philosopher. Thoreau worked as a Surveyor throughout most of the 1850s.

Daniel Boone – (1734 to 1820) American Pioneer, Frontiersman, Folklore Hero, Served as a militia officer during the Revolutionary War. Boone worked as a Surveyor following the war, in 1783 became Deputy County Surveyor for Lincoln County in Kentucky.

Meriwether Lewis – (1774 to 1809) American Explorer, Soldier and Leader of the Corps of Discovery.  Lewis did most of the celestial observations on the expedition.  Lewis was taught surveying by Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Ellicott.

William Clark – (1770 to 1838) American Explorer, Soldier and Leader of the Corps of Discovery.  Clark drew most of the 140 maps that the expedition created.  Clark learned surveying and mapping on the Virginia frontier and in the army.

Charles Mason – (1728 to 1786) English Astronomer.  Mason helped survey the Mason-Dixon Line from 1764 to 1767, which marked the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Jeremiah Dixon – (1733 to 1779) English Surveyor and Astronomer.  Dixon helped survey the Mason-Dixon Line from 1764 to 1767, which marked the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Banneker – (1731 to 1806) Free African American Scientist and Surveyor.  Banneker surveyed with Andrew Ellicott the borders of the original District of Columbia.

Andrew Ellicott – (1754 to 1820) U.S. Surveyor.  Ellicott helped map many territories west of the Appalachian Mountains, surveyed the boundaries of the District of Columbia, worked on the plan for Washington D.C. and was a surveying teacher to Meriwether Lewis.

James Cook – (1728 to 1779) British Explorer, Navigator and Cartographer.  Cook mapped lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

Referenced from: http://www.ranker.com/list/notable-surveyor_s)/reference