Herbert Alonzo Howe

Background

Howe, Herbert Alonzo was born on November 22, 1858 in Brockport, New York, United States. Son of Alonzo J. and Julia M. (Osgood) Howe.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, University of Chicago, 1875. Master of Arts, University of Cincinnati, 1877. Doctor of Science, Boston University, 1884.

Doctor of Laws, University of Denver, 1910, Colorado College, 1913.

Career

During his youth he developed an interest in the stars, witnessing the spectacular Leonid meteor shower of November, 1866. Joining the staff of the Cincinnati Observatory as an assistant, he worked primarily on computing orbital elements and observing double stars. In 1877, he was awarded his Master of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati under Professor Ormond Stone.

Long hours of work had left him with health issues, and in 1880 he had two severe pulmonary hemorrhages.

As a consequence, he began to consider moving to a different climate. Fortunately, the chancellor of the recently formed University of Denver in Denver, Colorado offered Howe a position as teacher.

His move to Colorado greatly improved his health, so he decided to remain with the institution despite the lack of astronomical observing facilities at the site. He was made professor of mathematics and astronomy, becoming the first astronomy professor for the university.

The same year, he received his Doctor of Science. degree from the university with thesis work on solutions for the Kepler problem on orbit determination.

In 1888, the university received a gift of $50,000 from Humphrey Chamberlin, an amateur astronomer, which Howe used to fund an observatory. Construction began in 1889, based around a 20 in (05 m) aperture lens that Howe purchased from Alvin Clarke & Sons. At the time of assembly, the refractor telescope was the fifth largest instrument of its kind in the United States.

Howe was named director of the Chamberlin Observatory in 1892, and trial observations with the telescope began in July 1894.

Most of Howe"s work at the observatory consisted of observations of neglected nebulae from the New General Catalogue, measurements of double stars, and positional work on comets and asteroids. In 1892, Howe was named the dean of the College of Liberal Arts, serving in this capacity until 1926.

Unfortunately, his work in this capacity limited the time he could spend on astronomy. In 1899, he served as the acting chancellor of the university.

He received an Doctor of Laws from Denver University in 1910, and a second Doctor of Laws from Colorado College in 1913.

By 1926 his health was starting to fail, so he began to train his eventual successor at the observatory, Albert Recht.

Achievements

• Herbert Alonzo Howe has been listed as a noteworthy astronomer by Marquis Who's Who.

Works

More photos

• book

  • A Study of the Sky (1896)(Hardback) - 2010 Edition

    (This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfec...)

  • A Study of the Sky by Herbert A.Howe(Hardback) - 2015 Edition

    (New)

  • Elements of Descriptive Astronomy: A Text-Book (Classic Reprint) by Herbert Alonzo Howe (2015-09-27)

Connections

Married Fannie McClurg Shattuck, December 23, 1884. Children: Julian Osgood, Hubert Shattuck, Warren Francis, Ernest Joseph.

Father:

Alonzo J. Howe

Mother:

Julia M. (Osgood) Howe

Spouse:

Fannie McClurg Shattuck

child:

Hubert Shattuck Howe

child:

Ernest Joseph Howe

child:

Julian Osgood Howe

child:

Warren Francis Howe