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

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

and academic. He served as president of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

from 1869 to 1870 and from 1875 to 1881.

Biography

LeConte was born in

Liberty County, Georgia Liberty County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 65,256. The county seat is Hinesville, Georgia, Hinesville. Liberty Coun ...

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

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

where he was a member of the

Phi Kappa Literary Society The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a College literary societies (American), college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Originally founded in ...

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, early California conservationist, and eugenicist. Early life Of Huguen ...

also attended the university. Like many of his immediate relatives, LeConte studied medicine at the

New York College of Physicians and Surgeons The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (officially known as Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) is the medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving ...

and earned his

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

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

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

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

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, 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 an American minister and educator. He was the founding president of the University of California. Durant also served as Mayor of Oakland.SF Chro ...

became the president in 1870. In September 1869, his brother Joseph 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) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1873 and 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 1878. LeConte was appointed acting president of the university a second time until June 1876, when he was elected president. In 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 Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

on April 29, 1891, while still active as a professor of physics.

Legacy

LeConte contributed major discoveries to physics throughout the 19th century. In 1858, he demonstrated that flames are sensitive to sound, and in 1864, LeConte successfully measured the

speed of sound The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elasticity (solid mechanics), elastic medium. More simply, the speed of sound is how fast vibrations travel. At , the speed of sound in a ...

. LeConte began studying underwater vibrations in 1882. LeConte's younger brother, Joseph, was a white supremacist, and a building named in their honour at

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

was renamed, as announced on July 7, 2020, because of Joseph's vigorous white supremacy writings in that regard.

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 University of California, Berkeley faculty University of South Carolina faculty People from Macon, Georgia University of California regents People from Liberty County, Georgia Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni American white supremacists