Increase A. Lapham

Author, scientist, and naturalist

Increase Allen Lapham (March 7, 1811 – September 14, 1875) was an American author, scientist, and naturalist, whose work focused primarily on the what was now the U.S. state of Wisconsin.

He made maps of the area and published numerous books on the archaeology, biology, and geology of the region, and discovered both the Panther Intaglio Effigy Mound and Milwaukee Formation.

He founded the Wisconsin Natural History Association, and served as the state's Chief Geologist for two years.He also lobbied Congress and the Smithsonian Institution to establish an agency to predict the weather around the Great Lakes and this became the National Weather Service.