Charles Wesley Elmer (1872–1954) was an American amateur astronomer and court reporter who co-founded the

Perkin-Elmer PerkinElmer, Inc., previously styled Perkin-Elmer, is an American global corporation that was founded in 1937 and originally focused on precision optics. Over the years it went into and out of several different businesses via acquisitions and di ...

optical company in 1937. He was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and for most of his life he was employed as a court reporter. However, as a hobby he developed a strong interest in astronomy and optical telescopes. In 1936, he met Richard S. Perkin, and the two decided to form an optical business in New York. This would grow to become the

optical company, which was officially incorporated on April 19, 1937. Charles Elmer served as the secretary-treasurer of the Perkin-Elmer company until he retired in 1949. He was married to May Custer, the grand niece of General

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

. In 1943, he was awarded the Merit Award by the

American Association of Variable Star Observers The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international nonprofit organization. Founded in 1911, the organization focuses on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by ama ...

for his "long continued service and devotion to the activities of the Association". The crater

Elmer Elmer is a name of Germanic British origin. The given name originated as a surname, a medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, derived from Old English ''æþel'' (noble) and ''mær'' (famous). It was adopted as a given name in the United State ...

on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

is named after him, as is the

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

2493 Elmer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmer, Charles Wesley 1872 births 1954 deaths 20th-century American astronomers American optical physicists