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Matthew Fontaine Maury spent his youth in Tennessee but could hardly wait to join his older brother and become a naval officer. From 1825 to 1834 he made three voyages. One to Europe, one around the world and one to the Pacific coast of South America. When he came back, he married Ann Herndon and settled in Fredericksburg, his birthplace. During the next seven years, Maury detailed his sea journeys, publishing several works on navigation. He also began pushing for reform in the navy. In 1842 he was appointed superintendent of the Depot of Charts and meteorology, charts and sailing directions. By the fall of 1853, he was internationally known for his work, and his system of recording oceanographic data was adopted world wide after that time. In 1855 he also published The Physical Geography of the Sea, which now has the distinction of being recognized as the first textbook of modern oceanography. His contribution to the field of oceanography will not be forgotten. By comparing the logs of ships on certain routes, he was able to suggest areas of oceans that should be avoided and best times of year to made certain journeys. He also devised a log which acted as a template for other Captains. They were dispensed and Navy Captains were expected to fill them out on each voyage. In exchange for sending Maury the completed logs, Maury would send them his Wind and Current Charts, and this had an immediate and positive effect on commerce as well.

Maury didn't stop there. On April 20, 1861, he resigned from the United States Navy and several days later accepted the post of commander in the Confederate States Navy, and as a result of his international fame was sent to England to represent the Confederate government and the cause of the South. He successfully acquired war vessels for the Confederacy, and experimenting with electrical mines he created harbor defense.

Later, in 1868, Maury returned to Lexington where he took the position of professor of meteorology at Virginia Military Institute. He died several years later after a short bout with illness, but his contributions to the field live on today.

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