Edwin Smith (April 13, 1851 - December 1, 1912) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

, and a founding member of the

Cosmos Club The Cosmos Club is a 501(c)(7) private social club in Washington, D.C., that was founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878 as a gentlemen's club for those interested in science. Among its stated goals is, "The advancement of its members in science, ...

and

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Early life

Edwin Smith was born in New York City on Sunday, April 13, 1851, and was raised during the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

. He was the fourth son of six children born to Edwin, a city surveyor, and Adelia Olivia Smith (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

McIntyre). His paternal grandfather George B. Smith, brother of Theophilus W. Smith, was the long time agent for

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-born American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor. Astor made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by exporting History of opiu ...

. George B., his grandfather, and his father Edwin were witnesses for the publication of

's will on December 30, 1836. He attended the College of the City of New York.

Career

Transit of Venus

On April 8, 1874, it was announced that Edwin was chosen as "chief of party" to lead an expedition to

Chatham Island Chatham Island ( ) ( Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) is the largest island of the Chatham Islands group, in the south Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is said to be "halfway between the equator and the pole, a ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, to study the

Transit of Venus A transit of Venus takes place when Venus passes directly between the Sun and the Earth (or any other superior planet), becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a transit, Venus is visible as ...

. On January 10, 1875, Edwin and his party returned to

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

aboard the steam ship USS Swatara Letters by Edwin, dated January 15, were received in Washington, D.C., and were reprinted in newspapers. In April 1882, Edwin, attended a meeting of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, 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 ...

. In July 1882, he was in New Zealand.

Alaskan expedition

On March 31, 1905, Edwin left Washington, D.C., bound for Seattle, Washington, on route to Alaska. He arrived in

Skagway, Alaska The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the large ...

on June 24, after passing though

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

. Edwin returned home in April 1906. On July 30, 1906, Edwin arrived in Spokane on his way to Alaska. The goal of the trip was to identify the exact boundary between the United States and Canada.

Personal life

Edwin and his wife Lucy had six children, Edwin (born in 1886), Lucy (born in 1888). They moved to Rockville, Maryland in 1890, and had Theron (born in 1890),

twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...

Duncan and Ralph (born in 1892), and Harold (born in 1894). In 1896, Edwin left to visit New York for a month. In August 1906, Edwin attended a "baby party," where everyone present wore "genuine baby pattern garments." Edwin was acquainted with James Veirs, and attended a dinner he hosted at Montgomery Country Club. Edwin would also play

euchre Euchre or eucre ( ) is a trick-taking game, trick-taking card game played in Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Upstate New York, and the Midwestern United States. It is played with a deck of 24, 25, 28, or 32 standard playing cards. There are no ...

at the country club. He was a co-founder of the

and served on its "House committee". Edwin died December 1, 1912.

Bibliography

* * *

Legacy

The 1964 film ''

Lilith Lilith (; ), also spelled Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden ...

'', starring

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...

utilized the home Edwin built in Rockville, Maryland. His daughter Lucy, portrayed the grandmother of Beatty's character Vincent.

Early life

Career

Transit of Venus

Alaskan expedition

Personal life

Bibliography

Legacy

See also

Notes

References

Further reading