John E. Mellish
{{Short description|American astronomer and telescope builder (1886–1970)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Edward Mellish
| image = John E Mellish.jpg
| caption = John E. Mellish circa 1910
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1886|01|12}}
| birth_place = Madison, Wisconsin
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1970|07|13|1886|01|12}}
| death_place = Medford, Oregon
| occupation = Astronomer
Telescope builder
| mother = Judith Sedora S. Mellish
| father = Arthur Mellish
| known_for = Discovery of comets
}}
John Edward Mellish (12 January 1886 – 13 July 1970, Medford, Oregon) was an American amateur astronomer and telescope builder.{{cite journal|author=Thompson, Paul|title=The boy astronomer of Cottage Grove|journal=Wisconsin Academic Review|date=December 1979|volume=26|issue=1|pages=34–40|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=div&did=WI.v26i1.PThompson&isize=text}}
Biography
Mellish was born in Wisconsin, the son of Arthur Mellish (1862–1928) and Judith Sedora Stimson Mellish (1864–1954)."United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MM2P-J9H : accessed 22 January 2019), John E Mellish in household of Arthur Mellish, St Lawrence town, Waupaca, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 138, sheet 7A, family 126, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,823. Mellish lived outside of Madison, Wisconsin in Cottage Grove. By age 24 he was credited with discovering or co-discovering two comets: C/1907 G1 (Grigg–Mellish) and C/1907 T1 (Mellish) using home built telescopes, and received astronomical medals from both the United States and Mexico as a result.{{cite book |title=Technical World Magazine |publisher=Armour Institute of Technology |year=1910 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/technicalworldm00unkngoog/page/n459 456] |url=https://archive.org/details/technicalworldm00unkngoog |quote=technical world magazine john winthrop. }} He later discovered another three comets: C/1915 C1 (Mellish), C/1915 R1 (Mellish), and C/1917 F1 (Mellish).NASA PDS Small Bodies Node [http://pdssbn.astro.umd.edu/comet_data/comet.catalog comet catalog] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709024946/http://pdssbn.astro.umd.edu/comet_data/comet.catalog |date=2015-07-09 }}, consulted 2012-03-20
In November 1915 he announced to have observed craters on Mars, and being the second person to do so after E. E. Barnard. Both claims are disputed to this day, but he is still credited to be the first human to recognize craters on Mars using the great 40-inch Yerkes refractor.
A crater on Mars (Mellish) was named in his honor.
In 1931, Mellish confessed to committing incest with his 15-year-old daughter.{{cite news|title=Science Fights Law for Genius |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27504374/john_e_mellish_18861970/ |newspaper=The Brownsville Herald |date=July 1, 1932 |page=1 |via = Newspapers.com |accessdate = January 22, 2019 }} {{Open access}} Astronomers advocated that he be spared jail time because of his value to science,{{cite news|title=Noted Astronomer, Native of Cottage Grove, Prays for Cell to Atone for Sin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27504308/john_e_mellish_18861970/ |newspaper=Wisconsin State Journal |date=June 5, 1932 |page=1 |via = Newspapers.com |accessdate = January 22, 2019 }} {{Open access}}{{cite news|title=Genius in Jail as Scientists Urge Pardon |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27504499/john_e_mellish_18861970/ |newspaper=The Province |date=June 5, 1932 |page=21 |via = Newspapers.com |accessdate = January 22, 2019 }} {{Open access}} and it was proposed that he be sterilized.{{cite news|title=Urge Operation for Astronomer Accused by Wife |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27504447/john_e_mellish_18861970/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=June 5, 1932 |page=10 |via = Newspapers.com |accessdate = January 22, 2019 }} {{Open access}} Mellish was held in the Kane County Jail from September 1931 to April 1933, when he was paroled,{{cite news |title=Lens Maker Paroled to California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-john-e-mellish-1/164124071/ |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=April 14, 1933 |location=Los Angeles, CA |page=2 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{cite news |title=Lens-Maker Genius Freed from Jail to Aid Science |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-minneapolis-journal-john-e-mellish/164129845/ |work=The Minneapolis Journal |date=April 14, 1933 |location=Minneapolis, MN |page=1 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} and he moved to California.{{cite news|title=John E. Mellish Famous Maker of Lens Is Freed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27504732/john_e_mellish_18861970/ |newspaper=The Jacksonville Daily Journal |date=April 14, 1933 |page=6 |via = Newspapers.com |accessdate = January 22, 2019 }} {{Open access}}{{cite news|title=St. Charles Lens Genius' Wife Is Given Divorce |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27504676/john_e_mellish_18861970/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=May 12, 1933 |page=21 |via = Newspapers.com |accessdate = January 22, 2019 }} {{Open access}} His wife divorced him in May 1933 and was given custody of their eight children.
After living in Escondido, California from 1933 to 1936, Mellish relocated to a ranch at Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.{{cite news |title=John E. Mellish Leaves Escondido |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/weekly-times-advocate-john-e-mellish-1/164123306/ |work=Weekly Times-Advocate |date=May 15, 1936 |location=Escondido, CA |page=12 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} However he returned to Escondido, where he and his son were arrested in 1938 on charges involving two juvenile girls.{{cite news |title=Runaway Girls Jail Man and Son |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-times-advocate-john-e-mellish-18/164125086/ |work=Daily Times-Advocate |date=December 2, 1938 |location=Escondido, CA |page=24|access-date=January 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{cite news |title=Scientist Accused in Girls' Captivity |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sacramento-union-john-e-mellish-18/164124862/ |work=The Sacramento Union |date=December 28, 1938 |location=Sacramento, CA |page=2 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Mellish died in Medford, Oregon, in 1970.{{cite news |title=John E. Mellish |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-times-advocate-john-e-mellish-18/164123011/ |work=Daily Times-Advocate |date=August 4, 1970 |location=Escondido, CA |page=15 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/GeolSci/MITC/marsinfo/observe.htm Discussion of crater observations on Mars] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040730201744/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/GeolSci/MITC/marsinfo/observe.htm |date=2004-07-30 }}
- Wisconsin Academy review [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=div&did=WI.0009.0264.0011&isize=XL The boy astronomer of Cottage Grove]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mellish, John Edward}}
Category:Discoverers of comets
Category:People from Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
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