Alexis Caswell
January 29, 1799 - January 8, 1877
|
Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1863)
|
Nineteenth-century scientist Alexis Caswell made significant contributions to astronomy and to the then-nascent field of meteorology. He kept copious weather records for Providence, Rhode Island, for forty-five years, tracking pressure, winds, rain, and temperature. Caswell graduated from Brown University in 1822 and began teaching at that same institution six years later. After declining two previous offers, Caswell accepted a position in 1868 as the president of Brown University, where he remained for six fruitful years. He was a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences.
