Background
Winthrop, John was born on December 19, 1714 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Adam and Anne (Wainwright) Winthrop.
Astronomer mathematician physicist
Winthrop, John was born on December 19, 1714 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Adam and Anne (Wainwright) Winthrop.
Bachelor of Arts, Harvard, 1732, Doctor of Laws (1st honorary Doctor of Laws given by Harvard), 1773. Honorary Doctor of Laws, U. Edinburgh (Scotland), 1771.
Professor Winthrop was one of the foremost men of science in America during the 18th century, and his impact on its early advance in New England was particularly significant. Both Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) probably owed much of their early interest in scientific research to his influence. He also had a decisive influence in the early philosophical education of John Adams, during the latter"s time at Harvard.
He corresponded regularly with the Royal Society in London—as such, one of the first American intellectuals of his time to be taken seriously in Europe.
Additionally, he observed the transits of Mercury in 1740 and 1761 and journeyed to Newfoundland to observe a transit of Venus. He traveled in a ship provided by the Province of Massachusetts - probably the first scientific expedition ever sent out by any incipient American state.
He served as acting president of Harvard in 1769 and again in 1773. But both times declined the offer of the full presidency on the grounds of old age.
During the nine months in 1775-1776 when Harvard moved to Concord, Massachusetts, Winthrop occupied the house which was later to become famous as The Wayside, home to Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
He published:
Lecture on Earthquakes (1755)
Answer to Mr. Prince"s Letter on Earthquakes (1756)
Account of Some Fiery Meteors (1755)
Two Lectures on the Parallax (1769).
Royal Society]
Additionally, he was actively interested in public affairs, was for several years a judge of probate in Middlesex County, was a member of the Governor"s Council in 1773-1774, and subsequently offered the weight of his influence to the patriotic cause in the Revolution.
Married Rebecca Townesend, July 1, 1746. Married second, Hannah (Fayerweather) Tolman, March 24, 1756.
President of Harvard College