William Chauvenet
CHAUVENET, William, mathematician, born in Milford, Pennsylvania, 24 May,
1820; died in St. Paul, Minn., 13 December, 1870. After preliminary studies in
Philadelphia, he was graduated at Yale in 1840. Soon after leaving College, he
became assistant to Prof. Alexander died Bathe, and aided him in his
meteorological observations at Girard College, Philadelphia. In 1841 he was
appointed professor of mathematics in the navy, and for a few months served on
the United States steamer " Mississippi," and a year later succeeded to the
chair of mathematics at the naval asylum in Philadelphia. He was very active
in the movement that led to the establishment of the United States naval
academy at Annapolis. At first he was professor of mathematics and astronomy
there, and later of astronomy, navigation, and surveying, and always the most
prominent of the academic staff. In 1855 he was offered the professorship of
mathematics, and in 1859 that of astronomy and natural philosophy at Yale, but
both honors were declined. During the same year he was elected to the chair of
mathematics in Washington University, St. Louis, No. Here he at once gained
the esteem and confidence of those with whom he was associated, and in 1862 he
was chosen chancellor of the university. In 1864 his health began to fail, and
he spent some time in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but again resumed duties in
1865. He was obliged to resign the offices held by him in 1869, and then spent
some time in travel, but without avaii. He was a member of numerous scientific
societies, and in 1859 general secretary of the American association for the
advancement of science, with which he had been connected since its first
meeting. He was also one of the original members of the National academy of
sciences, and at the time of his death its vice-president. Besides numerous
contributions to the "American Journal of Science," " Proceedings of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science." Gould's "Astronomical
Journal," and the "Mathematical Monthly," he was the author of "Binomial
Theorem and Logarithms for the Use of Midshipmen at the Naval School"
(Philadelphia, 1843); "Treatise on Plane and Spherical Trigonometry" (1850); "
Manual of Spherical and Practical Astronomy" (1863); and " Treatise of
Elementary Geometry" (1870). See the "Memoir of William Chauvenet," with full
bibliography, contained in the " Biographical Memoirs of the Academy"
(Washington, 1877).--His son, Regis, chemist, born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, 7 October, 1842, was graduated at Washington University in 1862,
and at Lawrence scientific school of Harvard in 1867, after which he settled
in St. Louis, and, with Andrew A. Blair. established an analytical laboratory.
In the practice of his profession he soon became distinguished, and was called
to act as chemical expert to numerous corporations. From 1872 till 1875 he was
chemist to the Missouri geological survey, and for some time held a similar
relation to the City of St. Louis. In the year 1883 he became professor of
chemistry and president of the Colorado state school of mines in Golden.
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