Abbe, Cleveland, 1838-1916

Astronomer and meteorologist.

From the description of Cleveland Abbe papers, 1850-1954 (bulk 1850-1916). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71130912

Meteorologist.

From the description of Cleveland Abbe papers, 1892-1906. (Historical Society of Washington, Dc). WorldCat record id: 70939748

Biographical Note: Cleveland Abbe, astronomer and meteorologist, was the first, regular, official weather forecaster of the U.S. government and was an avid supporter of research in atmospheric physics.

He was born in 1838 in New York city. Abbe was a graduate of City College of New York, 1857; and spent 1864-1866 at Pulkov, Russia with astronomer, Otto Struve. A national weather service was authorized in 1870 and Abbe devoted the rest of his career to that service. Abbe arranged with Daniel Coit Gilman to establish a course of study in Meteorology at the JHU. Abbe lectured on Climatology and gave his private library of 2500 volumes to the JHU in 1898. Cleveland Abbe died in Washington D.C. in 1916.

From the description of Cleveland Abbe papers, 1851-1952. (Johns Hopkins University). WorldCat record id: 48394883

Biographical Note

• 1838, Dec. 2: Born, New York, N.Y.
• 1857: B.A., College of the City of New York, New York, N.Y.
• 1859 - 1860 : Taught engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. Studied astronomy under Franz Brünnow
• 1860: M.A., College of the City of New York, New York, N.Y.
• 1861 - 1864 : Assisted Benjamin Apthorp Gould on longitude determinations for the United States Coast Survey
• 1864 - 1866 : Guest astronomer, Observatory of Pulkovo, Russia
• 1867 - 1868 : Aid, United States Naval Observatory
• 1868 - 1873 : Director, Cincinnati Observatory, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1869: Began publishing daily weather reports for the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
• 1870: Married Frances Martha Neal (died 1908)
• 1871 - 1916 : Meteorologist, United States Signal Corps and the United States Weather Bureau
• 1884 - 1916 : Professor of meteorology, Columbian (George Washington) University, Washington, D.C.
• 1895 - 1916 : Lecturer on meteorology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
• 1906: Awarded the Franklin Medal by the American Philosophical Society
• 1909: Married Margaret Augusta Percival
• 1912: Awarded the Symons Memorial Gold Medal by the Royal Meteorological Society of London
• 1916: Awarded the Marcellus Hartley Medal by the National Academy of Sciences
• 1916, Oct. 24: Died, Washington, D.C.

From the guide to the Cleveland Abbe Papers, 1850-1954, (bulk 1850-1916), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)