{{Short description|American mountain climber and Episcopal priest}} {{Infobox climber | name = Robert Tatum | birth_date = {{Birth date|1891|08|20}} | birth_place = Knoxville, Tennessee | death_date = {{Death date and age|1964|1|27|1891|08|20}} | death_place = | nationality = American | majorascents = Denali (Mount McKinley) (June 7, 1913) }} '''Robert George Tatum''' (August 20, 1891 – January 27, 1964) was an American mountain climber and Episcopal priest. He, along with Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, and Walter Harper made up the expedition that was the first to successfully climb Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, on June 7, 1913.
==Early life== Tatum was born on August 20, 1891, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of George, a photographer, and Emma Tatum. He grew up in Knoxville, and went to Sewanee: The University of the South.<ref name="shearer">{{cite web|last=Shearer|first=John|title=Knoxvillian Robert Tatum was among first to climb Mt. McKinley|url=http://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/knoxvillian-robert-tatum-was-among-first-to-climb-mt-mckinley-ep-358146190-355763181.html/|work=Knoxville News Sentinel|accessdate=July 12, 2013|date=June 11, 2013}}</ref> In June 1911 he moved to Nenana, Alaska, to visit his brother Howard, who was working at an Army outpost. That summer, Robert worked as a surveyor for the government; after that he taught at an Episcopalian mission school.<ref name="utk">{{cite web|title=Robert G. Tatum Photo Album, 1913–1917|url=http://dlc.lib.utk.edu/spc/view?docId=tei/0012_003086_000207_0000/0012_003086_000207_0000.xml&chunk.id=BioNote|publisher=University of Tennessee|accessdate=10 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="moutoux">{{cite news|last=Moutoux|first=John T.|title=Ascending the steep roof of the continent Just to 'look out the windows of heaven'|url=http://denali2013.org/meet-the-team/1913-team/robert-tatum/|accessdate=10 July 2013|newspaper=The Knoxville News-Sentinel|publisher=Denali 2013|date=May 22, 1932|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925123137/http://denali2013.org/meet-the-team/1913-team/robert-tatum/|archive-date=September 25, 2013}}</ref>
==Denali expedition== [[File:Denali Mt McKinley.jpg|thumb|right|Denali from the north]] Episcopalian archdeacon<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|title=Dr. Stuck scales Mount M'Kinley|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/06/21/100630411.pdf|accessdate=10 July 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 21, 1913}}</ref> Hudson Stuck, who would later become the expedition leader, first met Tatum during a regular visit to the mission school. Stuck asked Tatum if he would join him in ascending Denali (Mount McKinley) for the first time; he immediately accepted. In preparation for the climb, Tatum hiked about {{convert|1200|mi|km}}, including a trip to Tanana Crossing with other missionaries to establish a new mission.<ref name="moutoux" />
On March 17, 1913, the expedition left Nenana to climb McKinley. Besides Stuck and Tatum (who was the cook),<ref name="beckey">{{cite book|last=Beckey|first=Fred|authorlink=Fred Beckey|title=Mount McKinley: Icy Crown of North America|year=1993|publisher=The Mountaineers Books|isbn=0-89886-362-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nXGOq8MhZYcC&pg=PA118|pages=118–119}}</ref> the party consisted of Harry Peter Karstens, who led the expedition with Stuck; Walter Harper, an Alaska Native who had been Stuck's travelling companion for three years; and two Gwich'in teenagers, Johnny Fredson and Esaias George,<ref name="moutoux" /> who helped at base camp and brought the dog teams back down before the summit.<ref name="beckey" />
On June 6, they arrived at their final camp after three months of sometimes very dangerous climbing.<ref name="moutoux" />
Early the next morning, the party set off to reach the summit. Around noon, they finally reached the top of Mount McKinley, at an elevation of {{convert|20310|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite press release | last=Newell | first=Mark | url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/new-elevation-nation%E2%80%99s-highest-peak | publisher=USGS | title= New Elevation for Nation's Highest Peak | date=September 2, 2015 |accessdate=August 23, 2017}}</ref> During the hour and a half they spent on the summit, Tatum planted a flag he had made earlier out of handkerchiefs and other miscellaneous items. He compared the view to "looking out of a window of heaven." They began the descent, which only took two days to get back to base camp. They returned to Tanana on June 20, just over three months since they left.<ref name="moutoux" />
==Later life== During World War I, Tatum served as a Corporal in the US Army.<ref>https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199708846/robert-george-tatum Find a Grave {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref>
On June 7, 1922, Tatum was ordained an Episcopal priest in Nenana, but he soon returned to his hometown of Knoxville, where he ministered until his death on January 27, 1964.<ref name="utk" />
==Legacy== Mount Tatum was named by Bradford Washburn in about 1945 for Tatum. The {{convert|11053|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} mountain is located in the Carpe Ridge between Muldrow and Traleika Glaciers, about {{convert|10|mi|km}} away from Denali.<ref>{{USGS|title=Feature Detail Report for: Mount Tatum|url=https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:3:0::NO::P3_FID:1410678|accessdate=11 July 2013}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.peakbagger.com/climber/climber.aspx?cid=362 Robert Tatum] at Peakbagger.com *[https://digital.lib.utk.edu/collections/islandora/object/collections%3Atatum Robert G. Tatum Collection]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatum, Robert}} Category:1891 births Category:1964 deaths Category:Episcopalians from Alaska Category:People from Knoxville, Tennessee Category:People from the Territory of Alaska Category:American mountain climbers Category:Denali Category:Sewanee: The University of the South alumni Category:20th-century American Episcopal priests