Mt. Fiske Mt. Warlow Mt. Huxley Mon, Jun 4, 2007 With: Rick Kent Matthew Holliman		Etymology Mt. Fiske Mt. Warlow Mt. Huxley	Story	Photos / Slideshow	Maps: 1 2	Profile

"FISKE, John (1842-1901), American philosopher and historian, whose writings on philosophy were responsible for spreading in the U.S. the ideas of the British social philosopher Herbert Spencer and the originator of the theory of evolution, Charles Darwin. Originally named Edmund Fisk Green, he was born in Hartford, Conn., and educated at Harvard University. In 1864 he was admitted to the bar, but soon gave up his legal pursuits and began writing for periodicals. In 1869 he gave a series of lectures on positivism at Harvard and the following year he was appointed history tutor at the university. Two years afterward he became assistant librarian, a post he held until 1879. In 1881 he was named to a lectureship at Washington University, Saint Louis, Mo., becoming nonresident professor of American history in 1884.

Fiske claimed as his contribution to the doctrine of evolution his detection of the part played by the longer period of infancy in human beings than in animals. His works include Darwinism and Other Essays (1879), Excursions of an Evolutionist (1884), The Destiny of Man Viewed in the Light of His Origin (1884), and The Idea of God as Affected by Modern Knowledge (1885).

During his lifetime he was known as a historian. His works in that field constitute a nearly complete colonial history of America."
- Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia (online)