The George Davidson Medal is awarded by the American Geographical Society for the "exceptional achievement in research for exploration in the Pacific Ocean or the lands bordering therein".[1] In 1946, the American Geographical Society received a bequest of $5000 from his daughter Ellinor Campbell Davidson to establish the medal and a research fund to honor her father. The medal was designed by American sculptor Paul Manship in 1951.[2]
George Davidson was a geographer and scientist noted for his work with the U.S. government exploring and charting the western United States and Alaska. Davidson was a geodist for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, working heavily in the Pacific waters. He later became a professor at the University of California.[2] In 1907, he published The Discovery of San Francisco Bay.
Source: American Geographical Society