Pritchett, Henry S. (Henry Smith), 1857-1939

Astronomer, superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

From the description of Henry S. Pritchett papers, 1876-1967 (bulk 1900-1939). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71061298

Biographical Note

• 1857, Apr. 16: Born, Fayette, Mo.
• 1875: A.B., Pritchett Institute, Glasgow, Mo.
• 1878 - 1880 : Assistant astronomer, United States Naval Observatory
• 1880 - 1881 : Assistant to his father, Carr Waller Pritchett, Morrison Observatory, Glasgow, Mo.
• 1881: Appointed assistant professor of astronomy and mathematics, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
• 1882: Second in command to Edwin Smith, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey expedition to New Zealand to observe the transit of Venus
• 1883: Named professor of astronomy and director of the observatory, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
• 1889: Headed expedition to California to observe the solar eclipse, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
• 1894 - 1895 : Studied astronomy, University of Munich, Munich, Germany, receiving a doctorate
• 1897: Appointed superintendent, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey
• 1900 - 1905 : President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.1905 Submitted to Andrew Carnegie a plan to establish a fund to provide retiring allowances for professors Served with the Charles River Basin Commission, the Lighthouse Board, and the Immigration Commission
• 1906: Published What Is Religion? Boston: Houghton, Mifflin 1906-1930 President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
• 1911 - 1930 : Trustee, Carnegie Corp. of New York (president, 1920-1923)
• 1930: Retired as president emeritus, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
• 1933: President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
• 1939, Aug. 28: Died, Santa Barbara, Calif

From the guide to the Henry S. Pritchett Papers, 1876-1967, (bulk 1900-1939), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)