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George Babcock Cressey (December 15, 1896 - October 21, 1963) was an American geographer, author, and academic. Born in Tiffin, Ohio, he attended Denison University and then the University of Chicago, where he received a PhD in geology. After receiving his degree, he taught at Shanghai college and traveled widely in China. Upon his return to the United States in 1929, he completed a pioneering book on the country, ''China's Geographic Foundations.'' In 1931, Cressey received a second PhD from Clark University in geography. He then joined the faculty of Syracuse University, where he remained for the rest of his professional career. At Syracuse, Cressey wrote on a variety of subjects, but focused on "population problems as related to the worldwide distribution of land and arable resources," and primarily studied Asia, though he traveled to 75 countries on six continents (all but Australia), over the course of his career.〔James, p. 254〕 Cressey also served as chair of the department and helped to develop the geography graduate program at Syracuse into one of the best in the country. In addition to his academic work, Cressey consulted for the US Department of State, the Board of Economic Warfare, and the Military Intelligence Corps during World War II. After the war, he was also an outspoken advocate of better relations with Communist China and traveled widely in East Asia and the Middle East with a variety of fellowships. Cressey was also highly involved in a number of professional organizations, serving as President of the International Geographical Union, the Association for Asian Studies, and the Association of American Geographers. ==Early life== Cressey was born in Tiffin, Ohio, on December 15, 1896. His father, Frank G. Cressey, was a Baptist minister and his mother, Frances Babcock, the first woman to graduate from the University of Chicago, taught Latin at Denison University.〔 After high school, Cressey attended Denison University, graduating in 1919 with a B.S. He then entered the University of Chicago, where he studied under the noted geologist Rollin D. Salisbury, receiving a Master's degree in 1921 and a PhD in 1923, both in geology.〔〔Herman, p.360〕 His dissertation was entitled "A Study of Indiana Sand Dunes."〔 After receiving his degree, Cressey went to China with the American Baptist Missionary Union and took a position at Shanghai College in Shanghai, China, teaching both geology and geography.〔 While in China, he met Marion Chatfield, an American missionary, whom he married in 1925.〔〔 The two went on to have one son and three daughters.〔 Cressey also used his time in China to travel in East Asia, visiting Mongolia and the Ordos Desert with particular frequency. His trips were often dangerous and took him far from other Westerners; during one of his trips, in Hebei, he was beaten and robbed by a group of bandits.〔 His travels in China covered more than 30,000 miles, and formed the basis of a book he began writing, ''China's Geographic Foundations: A Survey of the Land and its Peoples''. Cressey finished the book shortly before leaving China and gave the manuscript to the Commercial Press in Shanghai to prepare for publication. In 1932, however, the press was bombed by the Japanese and the manuscript was lost in the ensuing fire.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Cressey」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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