Abraham Gesner

Abraham Pineo Gesner, 1797 to 1864, was a Nova Scotian medical doctor and geologist who invented a process for producing coal oil, which he called kerosene. He was born at Chipmans Corner in Cornwallis Township, Nova Scotia, studied medicine in London, and practised as a travelling physician while pursuing geology. In 1838 New Brunswick made him its Provincial Geologist, and during his first summer of survey work he found a bituminous substance on the Petitcodiac River that he named albertite. His kerosene process gave nineteenth century lighting a cheaper fuel than whale oil and belongs to the early history of the liquid fuel industry. Wikipedia also notes that his provincial survey was judged over optimistic about local mineral reserves, and the province ended his appointment in 1843.