Benjamin West (astronomer)

For other people named Benjamin West, see Benjamin West (disambiguation).
Benjamin West
Born March 1730
Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Died August 26, 1813
Providence, Rhode Island
Fields Astronomy

Benjamin West (March 1730 – August 26, 1813) was an American astronomer, professor, and almanac publisher. He was the son of John West, a farmer.

Life and work

Born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, he was largely an autodidact.[1] After a school he started in Providence, Rhode Island proved unprofitable, he opened a dry-goods and bookstore.[2] He then made clothes for soldiers during the American Revolutionary War.[2]

As part of a major international scientific effort,[2] West and Joseph Brown observed the transit of Venus on June 3, 1769, publishing An Account of the Observation of Venus upon the Sun the Third Day of June 1769.[1] The observation was conducted from a platform on the east side of Providence. The street has since been named Transit Street in honor of the event.[2]

He observed Lexell's Comet in July 1770.

In 1786 he was appointed professor of mathematics and astronomy at Rhode Island College (now known as Brown University), a post which he did not begin until 1788.[1]

Almanacs

West is known for publishing a series of almanacs between 1763 and 1793.[2] His first, titled An Almanack, for the year of our Lord Christ, 1763 was printed by William Goddard on the first printing press in Providence.[2] This almanac was enlarged in 1764 and published annually until 1781.[2]

Later life

Upon retirement from Brown (around 1798) he moved to Newport to start a school for navigation in his home.[1] From 1812[3] (or possibly 1802)[1] until his death in 1813 he was postmaster of Providence.

Honors

In 1770, West earned honorary degrees from Harvard University and Rhode Island College (known since 1804 as Brown University).[2]

In 1772 he received an honorary degree from Dartmouth College.[2]

In 1781 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[2][4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mitchell, Martha. Encyclopedia Brunoniana.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Spencer, Mark G. (2015). The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of the American Enlightenment. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 1096–1097. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  3. Kimball, Gertrude Selwyn (1899). Pictures of Rhode Island in the Past, 1642-1833. Preston & Rounds Company. p. 63.
  4. "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter W" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 20, 2015.


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