Marion L. Jackson
University of Wisconsin-Madison
November 30, 1914 - December 21, 2002
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Scientific Discipline: Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences Membership Type:
Emeritus
(elected 1986)
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Marion L. Jackson revolutionized the methodology of colloid and chemical analysis of soil minerals. He pioneered the application of x-ray and chemical methods now used in most laboratories for soil clay studies. Through these techniques he developed a unified view of soil weathering that placed it on a continuity controlled by the concentration of silica. He was also the first to expose the role the aluminum ion plays in soil acidity and how liming, the addition of calcium and magnesium to the soil to increase pH, counteracts the acidic effects of aluminum. In addition, he determined the global atmospheric transport of soil particles to be vital in developing productive soils.
Jackson received his B.S. and M.S. in soil science from the University of Nebraska in 1936 and 1937. He earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1939 and went on to teach at Purdue University until 1946. In 1946 he began his long career at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he became the F.H. King Professor in 1974. He served as president of the Clay Minerals Society (1966-1967) and the Soil Science Society of America (1967-1968).
