Background
He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to William Libbey, Junior., a wealthy New York City merchant, and Elizabeth Marsh (Libbey).
anthropologist archaeologist geographer
He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to William Libbey, Junior., a wealthy New York City merchant, and Elizabeth Marsh (Libbey).
Princeton University.
He is also known for his first ascent of Mount Princeton in 1877. As an undergraduate at Princeton Libbey was responsible for the adoption of orange and black as the school colors. Professor
Libbey graduated from Princeton in 1877 and that summer went on the Princeton scientific expedition to the West.
lieutenant was there that on the afternoon of July 17, 1877, at 12:30 pm he reached the summit of Mount Princeton.
Following his summer in the West, Libbey studied in Berlin and Paris. In 1883 he was appointed as a full professor and continued to teach the physical geography classes.
In 1897 Libbey was involved with the controversy concerning whether the Acoma people had once lived on Enchanted Mesa. After great exertion, he spent a couple of hours on the mesa top and concluded that nothing was there and that it had never been occupied.
Subsequent work by archaeologists have shown that Libbey"s conclusion was hasty.
Libbey died in Princeton, New Jersey.
He was twice a member of the United States. Olympic Rifle Team, and rose to the rank of colonel in the New Jersey National Guard.