Alexis Caswell

Alexis Caswell (born January 29, 1799 in Taunton , Massachusetts , † January 8, 1877 in Providence , Rhode Island ) was an American clergyman and President of Brown University .

Life

Caswell graduated from Brown University in 1822, top of his class, then studied theology in Washington, DC, and was ordained as a Baptist minister in Halifax in 1827 . In 1828 he became a pastor at the First Baptist Church in Providence. 1828 to 1850 he was a professor of mathematics and theoretical physics (called Natural Philosophy) at Brown University, as successor to Alva Woods , and then professor of mathematics and astronomy and from 1855 for astronomy and physics. He also stepped in with lectures on ethics and constitutional law when needed. He was involved in founding the university's natural history museum and expanded the library. In 1863 he retired from university and was President of the National Exchange Bank and the American Screw Company in Providence. From 1868 to 1872 he "was persuaded" to become President of Brown University. In 1855 he had been passed over as the successor to Francis Wayland Sr. , whom he had supported considerably in his last years of his presidency of the university and from whom he had relieved the administrative work (as regent of the university), and instead opted for a candidate from outside (Barnes Sears ) decided.

In 1857 he was President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science , which he joined in 1850. Also in 1850 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . He was also a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences .

He wrote a textbook on astronomy and also published on meteorology . From 1831 to 1860 he made regular weather observations in Providence. They were published in the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge .

In 1841 he received an honorary doctorate in theology (D. D., Doctor of Divinity) from Brown University. In 1857 he was elected a member of the Leopoldina .

His daughter Sarah married the scholar and diplomat James Burrill Angell in 1855 . Their older son Alexis Caswell Angell was a federal judge , his son Robert was a respected sociologist.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Martha Mitchell, Encyclopedia Bruniana. Two other candidates had previously canceled.

personal data
SURNAME	Caswell, Alexis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American clergyman and President of Brown University
DATE OF BIRTH	January 29, 1799
PLACE OF BIRTH	Taunton , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH	January 8, 1877
Place of death	Providence , Rhode Island

[1] Martha Mitchell, Encyclopedia Bruniana. Two other candidates had previously canceled.