American Geographical Society
A nonprofit professional society founded in New York in 1851 to advance geographical knowledge, exploration, education and the practical use of geographic information.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The American Geographical Society (AGS) is a nonprofit professional organization for geographers and others interested in geography. Founded in New York City in 1851, it is the oldest nationwide geographical organization in the United States. Its purpose is to expand geographical knowledge and help interpret that knowledge for public use, particularly in policymaking and other practical settings. Although most of its Fellows have historically been American, the society has maintained an international membership and outlook. The organization emerged from an interest in polar exploration and from efforts to locate the people involved in Sir John Franklin’s lost Arctic expedition. Its founders included George Folsom, Henry Grinnell, Henry Varnum Poor, Hiram Barney, Alexander Isaac Cotheal, Henry Evelyn Pierrepont, S. De Witt Bloodgood, John Romeyn Brodhead, Joshua Leavitt and Archibald Russell. The organization initially operated as the American Geographical and Statistical Society. Its charter was granted by New York State in 1854, and in 1871 the society adopted its present name. Across its history, AGS has concentrated particular attention on the Arctic, Antarctic and Latin America. Unlike exploration organizations focused solely on discovery, AGS traditionally required expeditions connected with it to produce tangible scientific or geographic results. Those activities have included support for Arctic and polar expeditions, the Powell expedition to the Grand Canyon, the 1912 Transcontinental Excursion, and technical assistance to explorers including Robert Peary and Louise Arner Boyd. In the interwar period, the society led or supported the production of a detailed map series of Hispanic America, contributing 107 sheets to the international effort to map the world at a scale of 1:1,000,000. AGS also has a history of applying geography to government and international affairs. During World War I, its building housed the government-sponsored Inquiry, an interdisciplinary research effort preparing geographic, historical, economic, ethnographic and legal information for the Paris Peace Conference. AGS director Isaiah Bowman traveled with President Woodrow Wilson’s delegation with large quantities of geographic material. During World War II, the society assisted more than forty U.S. government agencies, including by supplying ethnographic information to military intelligence. Its present activities combine scholarship, public education, professional communication, exploration and heritage preservation. AGS publishes the peer-reviewed Geographical Review, the broader educational periodical Focus in Geography, and the newsletter Ubique. It also organizes lectures, provides expert commentary on geographic and geopolitical issues, operates an educational travel program, and supports Bowman Expeditions intended to improve understanding of foreign regions and strengthen geographic information systems and regional expertise. Its archive contains maps, field notes, photographs, correspondence, expedition records and other materials. The AGS Library was transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1978 and is particularly strong in Latin American and polar materials. The society remains headquartered in Manhattan and continues to promote geography as a tool for research, education, public understanding and policy.
History
The American Geographical Society was formed in New York in 1851 by 31 prominent residents with shared interests in geography, statistics, philanthropy and polar exploration. The immediate institutional stimulus was a request associated with the search for Sir John Franklin and the crews of the lost Franklin expedition. A committee began drafting a constitution in September 1851, and a formal organizational meeting took place on October 9 at New York University’s Geographical and Statistical Library. The society received a New York State charter in 1854. It was initially called the American Geographical and Statistical Society; in 1871, the charter was amended and the reference to statistics was removed from the name. The society’s early history was closely tied to New York’s scholarly and civic institutions. It first occupied space at New York University, then moved to rooms in Clinton Hall in 1858 and to Cooper Union in 1866. In 1911 it moved to a purpose-built facility at Audubon Terrace on Broadway. The building, designed by Charles Pratt Huntington on land donated by Archer Milton Huntington’s mother, became an important venue for lectures and meetings and hosted scholars, explorers and public figures, including Woodrow Wilson. After later moves within New York City, AGS established its present headquarters at 121 Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. From the nineteenth century onward, AGS combined geographical scholarship with exploration. Its interests were especially strong in the Arctic, Antarctic and Latin America. The society supported or participated in polar work connected with Isaac Israel Hayes, Robert Peary and Louise Arner Boyd, as well as the Powell expedition to the Grand Canyon. It also organized the 1912 Transcontinental Excursion, an educational journey intended to deepen contact between European and American geographers. AGS’s exploration philosophy emphasized documented scientific and geographic outcomes rather than discovery alone. During World War I, the society became an important institutional base for the Inquiry, an interdisciplinary government-sponsored project created to prepare information for the Paris Peace Conference. Isaiah Bowman, who served as AGS director from 1915 to 1935, led the effort. After the Armistice, Bowman accompanied President Wilson and the American delegation to France with extensive geographic material compiled by a large team of geographers and specialists. In the years after the war, AGS participated in the international mapping of the world at a scale of 1:1,000,000 and undertook a major mapping program for Hispanic America. Conducted from 1920 to 1945, the project produced 107 map sheets and relied heavily on private donations. AGS also supported Louise Arner Boyd’s expeditions during the 1930s. It published her work on East Greenland and Rural Poland and sent her as a delegate to the 1934 International Geographical Congress in Warsaw. During World War II, the society assisted more than forty U.S. government agencies, including by providing ethnographic information relevant to military intelligence and the study of Eastern Europe. The society’s scholarly role has been expressed through its publications, especially the peer-reviewed Geographical Review. It has also published Focus in Geography for students, teachers and general readers, and Ubique as a communication channel for members and affiliated groups. AGS provides experts and commentary on geopolitics, environmental change, water, urbanization, globalization and geographic information technologies. Its institutional collections are another major legacy. The AGS Library was transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1978 and includes more than a million items, with notable holdings concerning Latin America and the polar regions. A 2011 project involving AGS of New York and the UWM library addressed the organization and description of the society’s archives. The archive includes maps, field records, photographs, correspondence, expedition materials, artifacts and administrative documents. In the contemporary period, AGS has continued to sponsor expeditions and public programs. Bowman Expeditions are named for Isaiah Bowman and are designed to improve understanding of regions and peoples, support geographic information systems, develop regional expertise and communicate findings to the public. The AGS Travel Program, operating since 1984, has offered educational journeys led by professional geographers and regional specialists. The society also maintains a program of medals and honors, including the Cullum Geographical Medal and other awards recognizing achievement in exploration, geography and related fields. In 2001, it received the Scottish Geographical Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
- 2011
Archive organization project
[1]AGS of New York and the AGS Library at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee began a project to organize and describe the society’s archives.
- 2001
Scottish Geographical Medal
[1]The Royal Scottish Geographical Society awarded AGS the Scottish Geographical Medal.
- 1984
Travel Program established
[1]AGS began its public educational travel program led by professional geographers and regional authorities.
- 1978
AGS Library transferred to UWM
[1]The society’s library collection was transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
- 1929
Fliers’ and Explorers’ Globe acquired
[1]The society received an 18-inch globe on which notable explorers and aviators recorded routes and signatures.
- 1920
Hispanic America mapping project begins
[1]AGS began a major mapping initiative covering Hispanic America as part of the international world-mapping effort.
- 1917
Inquiry work for the Paris Peace Conference
[1]AGS headquarters became associated with the interdisciplinary Inquiry that prepared geographic and related information for postwar negotiations.
- 1915
Isaiah Bowman becomes director
[1]Bowman began a two-decade directorship during which AGS expanded its role in applied geography and international affairs.
- 1912
Transcontinental Excursion
[1]The society organized an excursion intended to connect European and American geographers through field observation and travel.
- 1911
Move to Audubon Terrace
[1]AGS moved to a prominent new building at 3755 Broadway in Manhattan.
Products and positioning
A long-established, internationally oriented professional society that connects geographical research, exploration, education, public communication and policy application.
Academic journal
Geographical Review
A peer-reviewed scholarly periodical devoted to geography. It publishes research addressing current topical and regional issues across the discipline and serves as one of AGS’s principal academic platforms.
Educational publication
Focus in Geography
A full-color geography publication intended for a broad educational audience, including students, teachers, administrators and parents. Its content uses articles, maps, photographs, thematic sections and country-focused issues to make geographic research accessible beyond specialist circles.
Member newsletter
Ubique
A newsletter issued three times a year to communicate society news, programs and events to Fellows, Associates, medalists, geography department heads and members of the Galileo Circle.
Research expedition program
Bowman Expeditions
A series of field-based expeditions named for former AGS director Isaiah Bowman. The program is intended to improve understanding of foreign regions and peoples, support regional expertise, develop geographic information systems and share findings through public and scholarly channels.
Educational travel · 1984
AGS Travel Program
An educational travel program established in 1984. Trips are led by professional geographers, Fellows and regional specialists and use different modes of transport, including ships and private aircraft, to provide geographically informed field experiences.
Historical artifact and honors tradition · 1929
Fliers’ and Explorers’ Globe
An 18-inch globe acquired in 1929 on which prominent explorers and aviation pioneers have recorded routes and signatures. It functions as a symbol of exploration and is maintained through an approval process involving AGS exploration and honors committees.
Marketing campaigns
- 1984AGS Travel Program
International
The society launched a public educational travel program led by professional geographers and regional experts.
Outcome. The program has supported more than 250 educational trips according to the cited reference material.
- 1920Hispanic America mapping project
Latin America
AGS undertook a long-running effort to map Hispanic America at a 1:1,000,000 scale as part of an international program to map the world. The project continued through 1945 and produced 107 map sheets.
Outcome. The project created a substantial cartographic record of the region and contributed to international geographic standardization.
- 1912Transcontinental Excursion
United States · Europe
AGS organized a field excursion across the United States to encourage contact and exchange between European and American geographers.
Outcome. The excursion served as an international professional and educational exchange.
Brand decisions
2011
Organize and describe the society archivesStrategyBackground
AGS’s historical records included maps, field notes, photographs, expedition materials, correspondence and administrative documents.
Action taken
AGS of New York and the AGS Library at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee began a joint archival organization and finding-aid project.
Aftermath
The initiative improved the preservation and discoverability of the society’s historical records.
1978
Transfer the AGS Library to the University of Wisconsin–MilwaukeeStrategyBackground
The society held extensive geographic collections, including major Latin American and polar materials.
Action taken
The library was transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for continued preservation and access.
Aftermath
The collection became part of the university’s research library resources while AGS retained its broader archival and institutional role.
1871
Adopt the name American Geographical SocietyStrategyBackground
The organization had originally been called the American Geographical and Statistical Society.
Action taken
The charter was amended to remove “and Statistical” from the name.
Aftermath
The organization became known as the American Geographical Society, the name it uses today.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/american-geographical-society · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled