John Muir

John Muir (1838–1914) was a Scottish-American naturalist, botanist, geologist, writer, and conservationist. Born in Dunbar, Scotland, he emigrated to the United States with his parents as a child. After studying botany and geology, he undertook extensive travels and explorations, including a long walk from Indiana to Florida. His experiences in the Sierra Nevada and his observations of nature in California strongly shaped his work. Muir wrote numerous articles and books and played a major role in promoting the protection of American wilderness and the creation of national parks. He died in Los Angeles in 1914.