Karl Butzer, German-born American geographer, Died at 81

Karl W. Butzer was born on August 19, 1934, and died on May 4, 2016, in Austin, Texas.

He was a German-born American geographer, cultural ecologist and environmental archaeologist.

As a child, his family emigrated, first to England, and then to Canada.

Karl Butzer received his master’s degree in Meteorology and Geography from McGill University and a doctorate in physical geography from the University of Bonn in Germany.

Between 1959 to 1966, Karl was a teacher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Then, followed by a stint at the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland.

After that, Butzer taught at the University of Chicago until 1984.

After that, he went to the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of Texas at Austin.

Karl Butzer received the Busk Medal of the Royal Geographical Society.

Karl Butzer passed away at 81 yrs old.