John Daggett Hooker (1838–1911), was an American
ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain.
The ironmaster was usually a large ...
, amateur scientist and
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...
, and
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
who made the initial donations for the 100-inch
Hooker Telescope
The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles.
The observat ...
, one of the most famous telescopes in
observational astronomy
Observational astronomy is a division of astronomy that is concerned with recording data about the observable universe, in contrast with theoretical astronomy, which is mainly concerned with calculating the measurable implications of physical m ...
of the 20th century.
Life and career
Born John Delos Hooker in
Hinsdale, New Hampshire
Hinsdale is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,948 at the 2020 census. Hinsdale is home to part of Pisgah State Park in the northeast, and part of Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest in the northwest.
Th ...
, he moved to
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, California in 1861. He married
Katharine Putnam Hooker in 1869, and they had a daughter,
Marian Osgood Hooker
Marian Osgood Hooker (1875–1968) was a physician and photographer in the early 20th century. She is known for her photographs of rural Italy, published in several books including ''Farmhouses and Small Provincial Buildings in Southern Italy''. ...
, in 1875 and a son, Laurence Whitney Hooker, in 1878. They moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in 1886 where Hooker made his fortune in hardware and steel-pipe, rising to Vice President of Baker Iron Works. He then went on to serve as President of
Western Union Oil Company. He founded the
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens. The Academy began in 1853 ...
.
Through a collaboration with
George Ellery Hale
George Ellery Hale (June 29, 1868 – February 21, 1938) was an American solar astronomer, best known for his discovery of magnetic fields in sunspots, and as the leader or key figure in the planning or construction of several world-lea ...
, he brought a 10-inch
telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...
to the
Mount Wilson Solar Observatory. He later partly funded the creation of the 100-inch reflector, with additional underwriting via the
Carnegie Institute.
[Staff report (May 21, 1911). A Great Sixty-Inch Reflector Which Photographs the Stars; Wonderful Instrument Erected by the Carnegie Institution at Mount Wilson, California. '']New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' A falling-out between Hooker and Hale lasted until Hooker's death in 1911, but the remaining funds were secured, and the telescope became operational in 1917.
Hooker was also an important benefactor to naturalist
John Muir
John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, a ...
, who stayed at Hooker's home several times in 1910 and 1911, where he did much of his writing from that time.
[Editorial (May 25, 1911). Death stops good works. '']Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
''[Staff report (June 21, 1911). Hooker will totals $2,000,000. '']Christian Science Monitor
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
''
References
External links
John Daggett Hookervia West Adams Heritage Association
1838 births
1911 deaths
American astronomers
American ironmasters
People from Hinsdale, New Hampshire
19th-century American philanthropists
{{US-astronomer-stub