John Daggett Hooker (c. 1838–1911), was an American

ironmaster An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a larg ...

, amateur scientist and

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

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

who made the initial donations for the 100-inch

Hooker Telescope The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The observ ...

, one of the most famous telescopes in

observational astronomy Observational astronomy is a division of astronomy that is concerned with recording data about the observable universe, in contrast with theoretical astronomy, which is mainly concerned with calculating the measurable implications of physical ...

of the 20th century.

Life and career

Born John Delos Hooker in

Hinsdale, New Hampshire Hinsdale is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,948 at the 2020 census. Hinsdale is home to part of Pisgah State Park in the northeast, and part of Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest in the northwest. ...

, he moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California in 1861. He married

Katharine Putnam Hooker Katharine Putnam Hooker (May 2, 1849 – July 20, 1935) was an American travel writer, philanthropist, and socialite. Early life Katharine Putnam was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Samuel Osgood Putnam and Elizabeth Noble Whitney. ...

in 1869, and they had a daughter, Marian Osgood Hooker, in 1875 and a son, Laurence Whitney Hooker, in 1878. They moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1886 where Hooker made his fortune in hardware and steel-pipe, rising to Vice President of Baker Iron Works. He then went on to serve as President of Western Union Oil Company. He founded the

California Academy of Sciences The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, that is among the largest List of natural history museums, museums of natural history in the world, housing over ...

. Through a collaboration with

George Ellery Hale George Ellery Hale (June 29, 1868 – February 21, 1938) was an American astrophysicist, best known for his discovery of magnetic fields in sunspots, and as the leader or key figure in the planning or construction of several world-leading ...

, he brought a 10-inch

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

to the

Mount Wilson Solar Observatory The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The observat ...

. He later partly funded the creation of the 100-inch reflector, with additional underwriting via the Carnegie Institute.Staff report (May 21, 1911). A Great Sixty-Inch Reflector Which Photographs the Stars; Wonderful Instrument Erected by the Carnegie Institution at Mount Wilson, California. ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' A falling-out between Hooker and Hale lasted until Hooker's death in 1911, but the remaining funds were secured, and the telescope became operational in 1917. Hooker was also an important benefactor to naturalist

John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the national park, National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologi ...

, who stayed at Hooker's home several times in 1910 and 1911, where he did much of his writing from that time.Editorial (May 25, 1911). Death stops good works. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''Staff report (June 21, 1911). Hooker will totals $2,000,000. ''

Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper b ...

References

External links

John Daggett Hooker
via West Adams Heritage Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooker, John Daggett 1830s births 1911 deaths 19th-century American astronomers American ironmasters People from Hinsdale, New Hampshire 19th-century American philanthropists