Charles Pickering Bowditch

Charles Pickering Bowditch (born September 30, 1842 in Boston , Massachusetts , † June 1, 1921 in Jamaica Plain , Boston, Massachusetts) was an American businessman, archaeologist , anthropologist and philanthropist . After studying at Harvard University and serving in the American Civil War , he held senior positions at numerous companies in the greater Boston area. At the same time, he devoted himself in particular to the study of the Maya and emerged as a promoter of archeology and anthropology in general as well as the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology .

Life

education and profession

Charles Pickering Bowditch was born on September 30, 1842 in Boston to Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch and Lucy Orne (Nichols) Bowditch. His paternal grandfather, Nathaniel Bowditch was, while his brother a noted mathematician and astronomer Henry Pickering Bowditch of Physiology turned. In addition, one Timothy Pickering , Secretary of State to his ancestors.

In 1859 he began studying at Harvard University , which he completed in 1863 with a bachelor's degree and in 1866 with a master's degree. Interrupted his education was from the American Civil War , where he served from 1863 to 1864, most recently with the rank of captain (Captain) . After he had briefly and unsuccessfully sought his fortune in oil production in Pennsylvania , he took over the position of asset and real estate manager ( trustee ) with two wealthy families in New York State in 1865 . Having gained experience as a trustee, Bowditch returned to Boston in 1872, where he subsequently worked in the administration and management of numerous companies in the region. Among other things, he served as a director of the Massachusetts Cotton Mills , the Pepperell Manufacturing Company , the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company and the Boston and Providence Railroad Company . He also served for three years as Vice President of the American Bell Telephone Company , the telecommunications company founded by Alexander Graham Bell .

Scientific and philanthropic engagement

In parallel to his work as a businessman, Bowditch was active in various other areas, including traveling to Europe, Asia and Central and South America and developing a special interest in historical sciences, for example he wrote several volumes on the genealogy of the Pickering family. Subsequently, however, his main focus was on archeology and anthropology , after visiting the Yucatán peninsula in 1888 , where he studied in particular the Mayan culture . His book "The Numeration, Calendar Systems and Astronomical Knowledge of the Mayans" , published in 1910, was considered to be the most important work at that time that dealt with the characters and the calendar of the Maya. He was also one of the founders of the American Anthropological Association and appeared as a sponsor of the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology at Harvard, where he financed fellowships and an annual expedition to settlement areas of the Maya. Today the professorship for Central American and Mexican Archeology and Ethnology bears his name ("Charles P. Bowditch Professor of Central American and Mexican Archeology and Ethnology") .

Bowditch was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science , the Massachusetts Historical Society , the American Geographical Society , the American Antiquarian Society , the Bostonian Society and numerous other anthropological societies. In 1892 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and served as president from 1915 to 1917, as did his grandfather, Nathaniel Bowditch.

He had been married since 1866 and had four children. His son Ingersoll Bowditch worked as an engineer and was also accepted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1924. Charles Pickering Bowditch died on June 1, 1921 at the age of 78 in Jamaica Plain, a borough of Boston.

Web links

• Charles P. Bowditch on the website of the Massachusetts Historical Society (English)

literature

• Moorfield Storey: Memoir of Charles Pickering Bowditch. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Third Series, Vol. 56, October 1922 to June 1923, pp. 306-315. (available online at jstor.org )
• Alfred M. Tozzer: Charles Pickering Bowditch (1842-1921). Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 57, No. 18, Nov. 1922, pp. 476-478. (available online at jstor.org )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter B. (PDF; 1.2 MB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Retrieved May 3, 2018 .