Background
He was born in Fairhaven, Massachusetts to Frederick and Lydia Ann Jones Slocum. His father was a whaling ship captain, and Frederick spent much of his youth mastering boat handling.
He was born in Fairhaven, Massachusetts to Frederick and Lydia Ann Jones Slocum. His father was a whaling ship captain, and Frederick spent much of his youth mastering boat handling.
He enrolled at Brown University in 1891, and was awarded his Bachelor of Arts in 1895 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1898.
He joined the staff of Brown University as a mathematics instructor, then became an assistant professor of astronomy in 1900 under the influence of Professor Winslow Upton. Frederick Slocum took a leave of absence 1908-1909 to study at the Royal Astronomical Observatory in Potsdam, Germany. He joined Yerkes Observatory in 1909 as an assistant, and remained there until 1911.
He assisted Samuel A. Mitchell in research with parallax measurement techniques, and these were published in 1913.
In 1914 he became the first professor of astronomy at Wesleyan University, where he planned and supervised the construction of the Van Vleck Observatory. He became director of the observatory in 1915, and held this post until 1944.
During World War I, he was absent while training merchant captains in the skill of navigation at the United States Shipping Board. He also spent some time at Brown University as professor in charge of the Department of Naval Science, before returning.
He retired from Wesleyan in failing health on November 1, 1944.
Their work would eventually result in the "Yale Parallax Catalogue". He served as a vice president of the society from 1935–1937. In 1934 he served as Vice-President of Section Doctorate in the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Fellow Royal Astronomical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science (executive president section Doctorate,). Member American Academy Arts and Sciences, Astronomische Gesellschaft, Societe Astronomique de France, American Astronomical Society (executive president), International Astronomical Union, National Research Council (1934-1937), Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Phi Delta Theta.
Married Carrie East. Tripp, June 29, 1899 (died 1942).