Wurts, John Howard, 1838-1862

The son of William Wurts and his second wife, Elizabeth (Tate) of Flanders, N.J., John Howard Wurts was born May 22, 1838. After preparatory work at the Edgehill School in Philadelphia, he entered Princeton as a sophomore for the fall term 1855, and went on to receive his A.B. in 1858 with First Honors and giving the Latin Salutory, followed by his A.M. in 1861. Although he entered into the study of law with George W. Biddle in Philadelphia, Wurts's intentions were cut short by illness. He died in Havana, Cuba, on May 4, 1862.

A cousin and brother-in-law of Joseph Henry, Stephen Alexander followed Henry to Princeton, rising from tutor in mathematics in 1833 to Professor of Astronomy in 1840, and retaining a connection with the university until the end of his life in 1883. Alexander gave Princeton's first course in astronomy and was the prime mover behind the construction of the university's first observatory. A founding member of the National Academy of Sciences and president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Alexander's .