Edwin Smith (astronomer)

Edwin Smith was born in New York City on Sunday, April 13, 1851, and was raised during the Gilded Age. He was the fourth son of six children born to Edwin, a city surveyor,{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dr_map-of-land-in-the-16th-ward-of-the-city-of-new-york-belonging-to-the-heirs-13338038 |date=February 15, 1873 |title=Map of land in the 16th Ward of the City of New York belonging to the heirs of John Murray |location=Hoboken, N.J. |publisher=Spielmann & Brush |first=Edwin |last=Smith I}} and Adelia Olivia Smith (née McIntyre). His paternal grandfather George B. Smith, brother of Theophilus W. Smith, was the long time agent for John Jacob Astor.{{cite news |title=The Wealth of the Astors |date=June 9, 1859 |publisher=The Yonkers Statesman |url=https://archive.org/details/the-wealth-of-the-astors |page=5}} George B., his grandfather, and his father Edwin were witnesses for the publication of John Jacob Astor's will on December 30, 1836.{{cite news |title=The Will of Mr. Astor |date=April 14, 1848 |page=2 |publisher=The Brooklyn Evening Star |url=https://archive.org/details/the-will-of-mr-astor}}

He attended the College of the City of New York.

On April 8, 1874,{{cite news |date=April 11, 1874 |title=Special Dispatch to the Commercial: Astronomical Preparations |page=2 |publisher=The Pittsburgh Commercial |url=https://archive.org/details/the-pittsburgh-daily-commercial-sat-apr-11-1874}} it was announced that Edwin was chosen as "chief of party" to lead an expedition to Chatham Island, New Zealand, to study the Transit of Venus.{{cite news |date=May 22, 1874 |page=1 |publisher=The New York Times |title=The Transit of Venus: List of Persons Designated For The Observation, With The Stations |url=https://archive.org/details/the-new-york-times-fri-may-22-1874}}{{cite news |title=The Transit of Venus: Importance of To-Nights Event |date=December 8, 1874 |work=The New York Times |page=3 |issue=7247 |volume=24

|url=https://archive.org/details/transit-of-venus-december-8-1874 |id={{ProQuest|93389775}} |access-date=November 16, 2022 |author=}}{{cite news |publisher=The Press |location=Christchurch |date=November 3, 1874 |page=3 |title=The American Astronomical Expedition |volume=22 |number=2872 |url=https://archive.org/details/the-press-tue-nov-3-1874}}

On January 10, 1875, Edwin and his party returned to Otago aboard the steam ship USS Swatara{{cite news |publisher=Otago Daily Times |date=January 11, 1875 |title=Shipping - Arrivals |page=2 |url=https://archive.org/details/otago-daily-times-mon-jan-11-1875}} Letters by Edwin, dated January 15, were received in Washington, D.C.,{{cite news |title=The Transit of Venus: Successful Observations by the Mexican Scientists |date=February 25, 1875 |page=7 |publisher=The New York Daily Herald |url=https://archive.org/details/new-york-daily-herald-thu-feb-25-1875}} and were reprinted in newspapers.{{cite news |title=Venus In Transit: The Work On Chatham Island |date=March 24, 1875 |page=5 |publisher=The New York Daily Herald |url=https://archive.org/details/new-york-daily-herald-wed-mar-24-1875 }}

In April 1882, Edwin, attended a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences.{{cite news |title=Academy of Sciences: Its Eighteenth Spring Meeting In Washington City |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 19, 1882 |url=https://archive.org/details/academy-of-sciences-april-19-1882 |id={{ProQuest|137892094}} |access-date=November 14, 2022 |author= }}

In July 1882, he was in New Zealand.{{cite news |title=The Transit of Venus |date=September 3, 1882 |page=4 |newspaper=The Washington Post |id={{ProQuest|137801925}} |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/137801925}}

On March 31, 1905, Edwin left Washington, D.C., bound for Seattle, Washington,{{cite news |title=Geodetic Work |date=April 13, 1905 |page=1 |publisher=The Alaska Prospector |url=https://archive.org/details/bound-for-seattle}} on route to Alaska.{{cite news |date=April 12, 1905 |publisher=Douglas Island News |title=The Northland: Information for Everybody |volume=7 |number=21 |url=https://archive.org/details/information-for-everybody}} He arrived in Skagway, Alaska on June 24, after passing though Juneau.{{cite news |title=Personal Mention |date=June 24, 1905 |page=4 |publisher=The Daily Alaskan |url=https://archive.org/details/the-daily-alaskan-saturday-june-24-1905}}

Edwin returned home in April 1906.{{cite news |title=Society: Social and Personal |date=April 15, 1906 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/144652609/ |id={{ProQuest|144652609}} |author= |issue=10900 |access-date=November 15, 2022 |page=E5}}

On July 30, 1906, Edwin arrived in Spokane on his way to Alaska.{{cite news |title=Look For The Boundary |date=July 30, 1906 |page=3 |url=https://archive.org/details/spokane-chronicle-mon-jul-30-1906 |publisher=The Spokane Chronicle}} The goal of the trip was to identify the exact boundary between the United States and Canada.{{cite news |title=Fix Boundary By A Star: Exact Line Between Alaska and British America Found |date=September 15, 1906 |page=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/spokane-chronicle-sat-sep-15-1906 |publisher=The Spokane Chronicle}}

Edwin and his wife Lucy had six children, Edwin (born in 1886), Lucy (born in 1888). They moved to Rockville, Maryland in 1890,{{cite news |date=June 28, 1949 |page=14 |title=Mrs. Lucy Smith, 91, Dies at Rockville |publisher=The Evening Star |url=https://archive.org/details/lucy-smith-obit-1949}} and had Theron (born in 1890), twins Duncan and Ralph (born in 1892), and Harold (born in 1894).

In 1896, Edwin left to visit New York for a month.{{cite news |title=News of the Suburbs: Rockville, Gaithersburg, Etc. |date=August 9, 1896 |newspaper=The Washington Post |author= |id={{ProQuest|143711167}} |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/143711167/ |page=11 |issue=6363 |access-date=November 15, 2022}}

In August 1906, Edwin attended a "baby party," where everyone present wore "genuine baby pattern garments."{{cite news |title=Society: Social and Personal - Rockville |date=August 26, 1906 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/144666612/ |id={{ProQuest|144666612}} |author= |issue=11033 |access-date=November 15, 2022 |page=E5}}

Edwin was acquainted with James Veirs, and attended a dinner he hosted at Montgomery Country Club.{{cite news |title=Rockville Society |newspaper=The Washington Post |author= |access-date=November 15, 2022 |date=October 11, 1908 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/144791869/ |id={{ProQuest|144791869}} |page=E7 |issue=11812

}} Edwin would also play euchre at the country club.{{cite news |title=Rockville Society |newspaper=The Washington Post |author= |access-date=November 15, 2022 |date=October 11, 1908 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/144791869/ |id={{ProQuest|144791869}} |page=E6 |issue=11812

}}

He was a co-founder of the Cosmos Club and served on its "House committee".{{cite news |title=Election of Officers: Annual Meetings of the Corcoran Art Gallery Trustees, Cosmos Club and Other Organizations |date=January 13, 1885 |newspaper=The Washington Post |author= |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/137984684/ |id={{ProQuest|137984684}} |access-date=November 16, 2022 |page=4 |issue=2467}}

Edwin died December 1, 1912.{{cite news |title=Death of Edwin Smith: One of Cosmos Club's Founders and Member of Coast Survey |date=December 2, 1912 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 15, 2022 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/145169206/ |id={{ProQuest|145169206}} |page=6 |author= |issue=13325}}{{cite news |title=Edwin Smith, Astronomer, Dead |date=December 3, 1912 |work=The Baltimore Sun |page=9 |id={{ProQuest|533806989}} |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/533806989 |access-date=January 11, 2023}}

• {{cite report

|last=Smith |first=Edwin |date= May 1, 1884 |title= Determinations of Gravity With The Kater Pendulums at Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney, New South Wales; Singapore, British India; Tokio, Japan; San Francisco, Cal. And Washington, D.C.|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=moc4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA439 |publisher=US Government Printing Office |format= |edition= |location=Washington, D.C. |chapter= |section= |page=439-473 |pages= |docket= |access-date= |quote= }}

• {{cite report |last=Smith |first=Edwin |date=October 7, 1904 |url=https://archive.org/details/jstor-1631680/mode/2up |title=Determination of Longitude |volume=20 |pages=466-471 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |publisher=Science}}

• {{cite journal |title=William Eimbeck, 1841-1909 |date=May 22, 1909 |first=Edwin |last=Smith |journal=Science |issue=758 |page=48-50 |volume=30

|url=https://archive.org/details/jstor-1636117/mode/1up |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Science}}{{efn|Memorial address before the Philosophical Society of Washington, May 22, 1909.}}

The 1964 film Lilith, starring Warren Beatty utilized the home Edwin built in Rockville, Maryland.{{cite news |title=Old Homes in Rockville On Tour |date=April 8, 1967 |page=C1 |work=The Washington Times Herald |id={{ProQuest|143253086}} }} His daughter Lucy, portrayed the grandmother of Beatty's character Vincent.{{cite news |title=Lucy N. Smith of Rockville Dies at 92; Made Acting Debut in 1963 Film, 'Lilith' |first=Richard |last=Pearson |work=The Washington Post |date=November 20, 1980 |page=C4 |id={{ProQuest|147130050}} }}

• Edward S. Holden

{{notes}}

{{reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |title=The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Founding Of The Cosmos Club of Washington, D.C. |date=1904 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=The Cosmos Club}}
• {{cite book |title=Founders of the Cosmos Club of Washington |first=George |last=Crossette |year=1966 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=The Cosmos Club}}

{{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Edwin}}

Category:American astronomers

Category:1851 births

Category:1912 deaths

Category:People from New York City

Category:American scientists

Category:19th-century American astronomers