Gustave Lester

Gustave Lester is a historian of science, political economy, and U.S. empire in 18th and 19th century North America. As a fellow at the Science History Institute, he continued his research into the history of the earth sciences and mineral resources in the contexts of settler colonialism and industrial capitalism, including the geological mapping of coal and iron lands for an emerging fossil fuel economy.

Gustave is a PhD candidate in the department of the history of science at Harvard University. He has a forthcoming article on the colonial origins of the raw materials for the U.S. copper industry and has held fellowships at the Huntington Library, the American Philosophical Society, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Linda Hall Library, the Geological Society of America, and the New York State Library and Archives.