William Harkness
#271,114 Most Popular
About
19th-century astronomer who designed telescopes and served on the Transit of Venus commission. He also invented the spherometer caliper.
Before Fame
He studied at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and at the University of Rochester (New York state) before moving to New York City to train as a physician. During the Civil War, he worked as a Union Army surgeon.
Trivia
He published his most important scientific work, The Solar Parallax and its Related Constants, in 1891.
Family Life
He was born in Ecclefechan, Scotland to James Harkness and Jane Wield Harkness.
Associated With
He and Nobel Prize-winning chemist, Peter Agre, both held the position (a century apart) of president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
