John LeConte (December 4, 1818 – April 29, 1891) was an American

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosop ...

and academic. He served as president of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, University of Califor ...

from 1869 to 1870 and again from 1875 to 1881.

Biography

LeConte was born in Liberty County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, to Louis Le Conte, patriarch of the noted LeConte family. He attended Franklin College at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

(UGA) in

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, where he was a member of the

Phi Kappa Literary Society The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Founded in 1820, the society continues to meet every academ ...

and graduated in 1838. His younger brother

Joseph LeConte Joseph Le Conte (alternative spelling: Joseph LeConte) (February 26, 1823 – July 6, 1901) was a physician, geologist, professor at the University of California, Berkeley and early California conservationist. Early life Of Huguenot descent, h ...

also attended the University. Like many of his immediate relatives, John LeConte next studied medicine at the

New York College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founde ...

and earned his

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

in 1842. During this time, LeConte married Eleanor Josephine Graham. He practiced medicine until 1846 when he returned to UGA as a professor of physics and chemistry and taught there until his resignation in 1855. His next academic position was at the University of South Carolina in

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, as professor of physics and chemistry from 1856 until 1869. In March 1869, he moved to Oakland,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, to join the faculty of the newly established

as a professor of physics. In June 1869, he was appointed acting president of the University, serving until

Henry Durant Henry Durant (June 18, 1802 in Acton, Massachusetts – January 22, 1875 in Oakland, California) was the founding president of the University of California.SF Chronicle, July 25, 2010. "Where to Find Celebrities' Resting Places" by Charlie Well ...

became the president in 1870. In September 1869, his brother

arrived in California to join the faculty of the University as a professor of geology. LeConte was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1873 and the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...

in 1878. Upon the resignation of President Gilman in March 1875, LeConte was appointed acting president a second time until June, 1876, when he was elected president. On June 7, 1881, LeConte tendered his resignation as president of the University, asking to be returned to his faculty position. LeConte died at his home in Berkeley, on April 29, 1891, while still active as a professor of physics. LeConte and his brother, Joseph, were white supremacists, and a building named in their honour at UC Berkeley was renamed, as announced on July 7, 2020, due to the LeConte brothers' vigorous white supremacy writings in that regard.

Contributions to physics

LeConte contributed major discoveries to physics throughout the 19th century. In 1858, he demonstrated that flames are sensitive to sound "On the Influence of Musical Sounds on the Flame of a Jet of Coal Gas," merican Journal of Science 2nd series 23 (1858): 62-67 and in 1864, LeConte successfully measured the speed of sound. LeConte began studying underwater vibrations in 1882.

References

UC Berkeley Biography, John LeConte

External links

''History of the University of Georgia by Thomas Walter Reed'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949, pp.398-400National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:LeConte, John 1818 births 1891 deaths University of Georgia alumni University of Georgia faculty Namesakes of San Francisco streets University of California, Berkeley faculty University of South Carolina faculty People from Macon, Georgia University of California regents People from Liberty County, Georgia Leaders of the University of California, Berkeley Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni