Henry Gannett (1846-1914) was an American geographer. He was born in Bath, Maine, graduated from Harvard in 1869 and from he Hooper Mining School the following year. He was an assistant in the Harvard College Observatory in 1870-1871 and in 1871, was offered a position as an astronomer on Captain Charles F. Hall's Polar Expedition. At the same time, he was offered a position with Ferdinand V. Hayden to survey the Yellowstone region, a positon he accepted and retained until 1879. On July 26, 1872 while climbing the then unnamed highest mountain in the Gallatin Mountains, he and his party experienced electric shocks following a thunderstorm near the summit. He was to name the mountain Electric Peak.

Gannett served as geographer of the U.S. censuses of 1880, 1890, and 1900. In 1882 he was appointed Chief Geographer (Topographer) of the United States Geological Survey.  During this time he became interested in geographic names. In 1890, he and T. C. Mendenhall of the Coast and Geodetic Survey organized the Board on Geographic Names. Mendenhall was the first chair with Gannett succeeding him in 1894 and serving as the board's chairman for 20 years. In 1906, the highest peak in Wyoming was named Gannett Peak in his honor.  

Gannett published many significant works on topography and geographic names including:

Gannett, Henry. Boundaries of the United States and of the several States and Territories,

2nd edition. Washington, D.C.:1900.

Gannett, Henry.  The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, 1st edition.

United States Geological Survey Bulletin number 197. Washington,  D.C.: 1902. 

Gannett, Henry.  The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, 2nd edition.

United States Geological Survey Bulletin number 258. Washington,  D.C.: 1905. 

More information about Henry Gannet:

Penry, Jerry. The father of government mapmaking: Henry Gannett.  American Surveyor, November, 2007.