John Monroe Van Vleck (March 4, 1833 – November 4, 1912) was an American mathematician and astronomer. He taught astronomy and mathematics at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...

, for more than 50 years (1853–1912) and served as acting university president twice. The Van Vleck Observatory (at Wesleyan University) and the crater Van Vleck 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 ...

are named after him. John Monroe Van Vleck shown 1875

Early life

John Monroe Van Vleck was born on March 4, 1833, in Stone Ridge, New York; he was the son of Peter Van Vleck and Ann Hasbrouck.John Monroe Van Vleck
Descendants of Wolphert Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven. He graduated from

in 1850 and began teaching at Greenwich Academy. The degree of

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

was conferred on him by

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

in 1876. From 1851 to 1853 he had been an assistant at the Nautical Almanac Office.

Career

He taught astronomy and mathematics at

for more than 50 years, serving as adjunct professor of Mathematics 1853–1857, professor of Mathematics and Astronomy 1858–1904, and professor emeritus 1904–1912. He served as the acting president for the university on two occasions, 1872–1873 and 1887–1889, the vice president 1890–1893. "THE SCIENCE FACULTY 1831–1861: Department of Astronomy", Wesleyan University, 2007-12-03, webpage
WU-Fac
() states "Prof., 1885–1904" but should be "1858", not 1885.
"John Monroe Van Vleck"
Appletons Encyclopedia (1886) states "since 1858 has held chair of mathematics & astronomy". In 1904 he was vice-president of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

. He was a member of the

Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences The Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences is a learned society founded in 1799 in New Haven, Connecticut "to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest and happiness of a free and virtuous people." Its purpose is the ...

. In 1869 he was a member of the Solar Eclipse Expedition to

Mount Pleasant, Iowa Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 9,274 in the 2020 census, an increase from 8,668 in the 2010 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders. History ...

. He was a fellow of the A.A.A.S. His publications include "Tables giving the Positions of the Moon for " and for 1878–1891, and similar "Tables giving the Positions of Saturn for 1857 to 1877" contributed to the "American Nautical Almanac".

Honors

The Van Vleck Observatory at Wesleyan University was named after him, as was the crater Van Vleck on the

Personal life

He was married to Ellen Maria Burr on May 2, 1854. His wife died December 26, 1899, but he lived an additional 12 years. J. M. van Vleck was survived by a son and three daughters:Family Database
Die Maus. * Anna Van Vleck * Clara Van Vleck *

Edward Burr Van Vleck Edward Burr Van Vleck (June 7, 1863 – June 2, 1943) was an American mathematician. Early life Van Vleck was born June 7, 1863, Middletown, Connecticut. He was the son of astronomer John Monroe Van Vleck, he graduated from Wesleyan University ...

(1863–1943), a leading mathematician in the United States. Edward taught at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, where he became professor emeritus in 1926. * Jane Van Vleck

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Vleck, John Monroe 1833 births 1912 deaths People from Ulster County, New York Wesleyan University faculty American astronomers Wesleyan University alumni American people of Dutch descent American people of German descent Mathematicians from New York (state)

Early life

Career

Honors

Personal life

See also

Notes