James Melville Gilliss (September 6, 1811 – February 9, 1865) was an astronomer, United States naval officer and founder of the
United States Naval Observatory
United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...
.
Biography
Gilliss was born on September 6, 1811 in Georgetown, District of Columbia. His parents were George Gilliss, a federal employee, and Mary (Melville) Gillis. In 1827 at the age of fifteen he joined the navy as a
midshipman
A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...
. He made several training cruises on the ''
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
'', the ''
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
'', and the ''
Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
''. In 1833 he passed his examinations and was advanced to
passed midshipman
A passed midshipman, sometimes called as "midshipman, passed", is a term used historically in the 19th century to describe a midshipman who had passed the lieutenant's exam and was eligible for promotion to lieutenant as soon as there was a vacan ...
.
[Gould (1866)]
In 1833 Gilliss requested a leave of absence and began his studies at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
. Poor health forced him to leave after six months. He went to Paris for further studies in 1835 and was recalled to Washington to serve as an assistant at the Depot of Charts and Instruments in 1836.
In late 1837 he married Rebecca Roberts of Alexandria, D.C. (now Va.).
The Depot of Charts and Instruments was headed by
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842).
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...
. The depot was responsible for the navy's
chronometers, charts, and other navigational instruments and provided Gilliss with an opportunity to practice astronomy. Astronomical observations were necessary to determine the accuracy of the Navy's chronometers. Gilliss proved himself to be an excellent astronomical observer. In 1837 he was named officer-in-charge of the depot and began an extensive series of observations of the moon and stars for the purpose of longitude determination. In February 1838 he was promoted to lieutenant.
[Dick (2000)]
In 1838 Wilkes left the depot to lead the
U.S. Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...
and Gilliss replaced him as head of the organization. Gilliss began a series of celestial observations that were published in 1846 as ''Astronomical Observations made at the Naval Observatory, Washington''. This reference listed some 1,248 stars and was the first star catalog published in the United States.
[Sterling (1997)]
Gilliss is most noted for his successful efforts to establish the
U.S. Naval Observatory
United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...
, the first national observatory in the United States. In 1841 he first proposed a new depot and personally lobbied congress for the funds. In 1842 Congress passed an authorization for $25,000 for a new depot and "a small observatory". Gilliss used the funds to equip the new building with astronomical instruments, including a 9.6-inch
achromatic refracting telescope, a 5.5-inch transit instrument, a 4-inch
meridian circle
The meridian circle is an instrument for timing of the passage of stars across the local meridian, an event known as a culmination, while at the same time measuring their angular distance from the nadir. These are special purpose telescopes moun ...
, and a 5-inch prime vertical telescope. He traveled to Europe to purchase the necessary instruments and books and by October 1844 the observatory was ready. However, because of internal politics Gilliss was not appointed director; that position went instead to
Matthew Fontaine Maury
Matthew Fontaine Maury (January 14, 1806February 1, 1873) was an American oceanographer and naval officer, serving the United States and then joining the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
He was nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas" and i ...
(the secretary of the navy was from Maury's home state, Virginia).
In 1848, he was elected to the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
.
Gilliss continued working at the observatory, completing publication of his celestial catalog and providing support to the
Office of Coast Survey The Office of Coast Survey is the official chartmaker of the United States. It is an element of the National Ocean Service in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is part of the United States Department of Commerce.
Mission
...
. In 1848 he obtained $5,000 from Congress for a naval astronomical expedition to Chile in order to more precisely measure the solar parallax. Gilliss headed the expedition from August 1849 until his return in November 1852. In Chile the expedition enjoyed the support of the government, the
University of Chile
The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843. , the
Military School
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
plus a wide array of individuals.
They successfully completed the planned astronomical observations and also made valuable observations of the earth's magnetic field, earthquakes, geography, politics and natural science. The specimens of fauna and flora brought back from Chile formed the earliest part of the Smithsonian collection from Latin America. The wide-ranging results of the expedition were published in as six-volume treatise, the ''United States Astronomical Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere'', published 1855-1896. The observatory and staff he left in Chile became the nucleus of Chile's
astronomical program, previous to this there was no astronomical tradition in Chile.
[ Under the direct influence of the expedition from 1850 onward the journal '']Anales de la Universidad de Chile
''Anales de la Universidad de Chile'' is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal containing research and critical reflections on arts, humanities, and science. It was established in 1843 and is published by the University of Chile. The editor-in ...
'' begun to publish content on astronomy.[ Gilliss later led two expeditions to observe the solar eclipses in Peru in 1858 and Washington Territory in 1860.
At the onset of the Civil War, Maury resigned to join the Confederate Navy and Gilliss was placed in charge of the observatory in 1861. He also became a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences and was promoted to captain in July 1862. During his four-year tenure, Gilliss reduced the backlog of scientific work that had gone unpublished, encouraged the manufacture of American-made astronomical equipment, and worked closely with other American observatories.] His organization also played a crucial role in providing charts and navigation instruments to the rapidly expanding the Union navy.[Dick (1996)]
Gilliss died unexpectedly on February 9, 1865. He had been looking forward to seeing his son who had just been released from a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. That morning he collapsed and died from a stroke at the age of 53. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Published works
*''Astronomical Observations made at the Naval Observatory, Washington'' (1846)
*''The U.S. Naval Astronomical Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere during the Years 1849-50-51-52'' (6 vols., Washington, 1855-95)
*''An Account of the Total Eclipse of the Sun on September 7, 1858, as Observed near Olmos, Peru'' (Washington, 1859)
*''An Account of the Total Solar Eclipse of July 18, 1860: as Observed for the United States Coast Survey near Steilacoom, Washington Territory'' (1861)
Honors
The James Melville Gilliss Building in Washington, DC houses the offices of the Naval Observatory and the Oceanographer of the Navy.[Butowsky (1989)] The library of the US Naval Observatory is also named in his honor and two US Navy ships were named for him:
* ,a minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
built in 1945.
* , an oceanographic
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...
research ship
A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...
launched 1962.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillis, James Melville
1811 births
1865 deaths
American astronomers
People from Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)
United States Navy officers
Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)