Otto Hilgard Tittmann (August 20, 1850 – August 21,[1] 1938) was an American geodesist, geographer, and astronomer of German descent.
Otto Hilgard Tittmann | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey | |
| In office December 1, 1900 – April 24, 1914 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Smith Pritchett |
| Succeeded by | Ernest Lester Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 20, 1850 Belleville, Illinois |
| Died | February 14, 1938 (aged 87) Leesburg, Virginia |
| Parent(s) | Edward Tittmann, Rosa Hilgard |
| Occupation | Geodesist |
| Known for | Co-founder of the National Geographic Society |
Biography
editTittmann was born in 1850, in Belleville, Illinois[2] to revolutionary parents fleeing the aftermath of the 1848 revolutions.[3] He attended school in St. Louis, and in 1867 joined the United States Coast Survey.[2] In 1874 he was assistant astronomer in Japan to view the Transit of Venus and from 1889 until 1893 he was in charge of weights and measures. In 1888 he co-founded the National Geographic Society. In 1899, Tittmann served as president of the Philosophical Society of Washington.[4] And, from 1895 until 1900 he was assistant in charge of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1906.[5] From 1900 until 1915 he was Superintendent of the Survey, and from 1915 until 1919 he was president of the National Geographic Society. He died in Leesburg, Virginia, in 1938.
References
edit- ^ "Dr. Otto Tittmann Dies in Virginia". St. Louis Post Dispatch. 1938. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ a b "NOAA History - Profiles in Time/C&GS Biographies - Dr. Otto Hilgard Tittmann". www.history.noaa.gov.
- ^ Hunter, Cathy (30 November 2012). "A Gallant Gentleman, an Ideal Friend". National Geographic Society (blogs).
- ^ "Past Presidents". PSW Science. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
External links
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