Fanny Carter Edson
Fanny Carter Edson was an American petroleum geologist, She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1910 and returned to further specialize in Precambrian geology, earning her master's degree in 1913.
Along with her specialization in pre-Cambrian geology, Edson focused on stratigraphic correlations. Her area of work required the use of well samples which were used at this point in geological history as more advanced technology, such as electric logs, were just on the verge of being discovered.
Early life
Born Fanny Carter in Chicago, Illinois, on October 5, 1887, she was one of the three daughters of Byron Beach Carter and Cora Belle Albridge Carter. Her father, Byron Beach Carter, graduated from the University of Wisconsin as a mechanical engineer. Throughout his career, he was well known for his machinery designs. He was “the designer of machinery for great railroads bridges including several across Mississippi River.” Her mother, Cora Belle Albridge, also attended State University becoming a member of the women's organization, Kappa Kappa Gamma. From both her paternal and maternal side, Carter Edson's ancestry was English. On her paternal side her great-grandparents immigrated to Wisconsin in 1850, while on her maternal side, her family immigrated in 1688.Education
In 1906, Fanny Carter began her post-secondary education at the University of Wisconsin. Much like her mother, she also joined the women's organization, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and in 1910, she completed her degree specializing in geology. Three years later, Carter Edson returned to the University of Wisconsin to finish her master's degree.Employment
She began her career as a Geologist at the Ecogal Exploration Company. Edson joined Roxana Petroleum Corporation, which was a subdivision of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, in her early years as a geologist in 1924. Edson established the corporation's sample lab to aid in the growing North American Mid-Continent drilling area. Her career at Roxana Petroleum Corporation ended in 1938, the same year she was chosen to be a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. After her time at Roxana Petroleum Corporation ended she found employment as the Chief Geologist at the Cimmaron Oil Company beginning in 1939.Field of study and research focus
Fanny Carter went to Wisconsin University for her master's degree, to then rejoin her husband. She worked at his company as an advisory geologist and then eventually a secretary-treasurer, which was not a part of her field. She went back to school again at Stanford university she became a graduate student instructor in the geology school. After taking many years of school for geology, and with special training and experience she began working in September 1924, with Roxana Petroleum corporation, that is now a part of the Shell Oil Company.Mrs. Edson initially worked on the liberal latitude for Roxana, this means she was responsible for examining the samples from the well of subsurface sediments and create a stratigraphy “map” of the layers of sediment. Fanny's work with the samples from the well and her stratigraphy sequences was helping the company's understanding of the subsurface Ordovician stratigraphy.
Under Fanny's supervision the lab staff grew in numbers and they began to be known for their volume and authentic character of their stratigraphic work, and also being the most efficient in the region. In 1932, Fanny Carter Edson received a signal honor, although she did not have numerous writings, she was the first women of commercial employment. She was the one women elected that year to the fellowship in the Geological Society of America, which at that time was exclusive and only included 10 other women. Fanny Carter was a petroleum geologist and was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists for 30 years.