George was born in 1866 to Frederick and Mary (Palmer) George and grew up in Ontario, Canada.  His parents had immigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom and his father was primarily employed as a cloth merchant.  He attended McMaster University-Toronto for his bachelor of arts degree, graduated in 1898, and earned his masters degree in 1898.  After graduation he was made a research fellow at the University of Chicago in 1899 after which he completed his Ph.D.   George taught briefly at the University of Iowa's geology department from 1900-1903.  While at the University of Iowa, George taught several mineralogy, petrology, and economic geology classes.  In addition he alternated teaching a geological field work class with Professor Samuel Calvin.  However in 1903, George took over the struggling geology department at the University of Colorado which he headed until 1933.  The Colorado legislature voted to create a Colorado Geological Survey on April 24, 1907 in order to investigate the state's resources and Russell George was the first director.  George began serving as the state geologist of Colorado, and a year later in 1908 he married Marcia Chipman in Boston.

As head of the Colorado Geological Survey, George placed particular interest in addressing problems and consulting for the mining industries.  Until his departure in 1927 George and the survey staff published 31 bulletins and revised the state geological map of Colorado.  The topics of the bulletins focused on state resources and ranged from clay to oil shale to mineral waters.  In addition George published the earliest general summary on the geology of Colorado titled Geology and Natural Resources of Colorado which examined the state's geologic history, resources, flora, and fauna.   Unfortunately the first Colorado Geological Survey shut down shortly after George left due to financial difficulties; the current survey was restarted in 1965.

Russell George was a Master Mason, member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute of Mining Engineers, Colorado Scientific Society, and Geological Society of America.  He also served the state of Colorado by advising lawmakers regarding to the state's resources and by being a member of the legislative committee for the regulation of coal mines.

For more information on Russell D. George and the Colorado Geological Survey see: