Lorin Blodget (May 23, 1823 in
Busti, Chautauqua County, New York – 1901), American physicist and writer. Blodget was born near
Jamestown and attended the
Jamestown Academy. He later attended a college now called
Hobart College in Geneva, NY.
In 1851, he became assistant professor at the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
at Washington. He may be said to have laid the foundation of American
climatology
Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "place, zone"; and , ''-logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. This modern field of study ...
. In 1855, he published a quarto volume of climatological observations, and in 1857 ''Climatology of the United States'', a work extensively circulated and very favorably received in Europe. He was editor of the ''North American'', published in Philadelphia, and secretary of the
Philadelphia Board of Trade from 1858 to 1864. He contributed articles on finance to the ''North American Review'' in 1866 and 1867, besides making contributions to various other publications.
Besides his work for the Smithsonian, Blodget worked for the War Department to conduct climatological research. Afterward, he worked for the Treasury Department, preparing statistical and financial reports, and later working in specialized positions in the Customs and Treasury Department. Subsequently, he moved to Philadelphia to become the secretary of the Board of Trade and editor of the "North American Review." 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 ...
in 1872.
References
*Thompson, Kenneth. "The question of climatic stability in America before 1900", ''Climatic Change'', Vol. 3, No. 3, September, 1981.
*''This article incorporates text from the
Universal Cyclopædia & Atlas
The 12-volume ''Universal Cyclopaedia'' was edited by Charles Kendall Adams, and was published by D. Appleton & Company in 1900. The name was changed to ''Universal Cyclopaedia and Atlas'' in 1902, with editor .
History
This was the culmination ...
, 1902, New York, D. Appleton & Co., a publication now in the
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...
.''
External links
Lorin Blodget ''On the climatic conditions of the summer of 1853, most directly affecting its sanatary (sic) character'' (New York, 1853).Lorin Blodget ''Climatology of the United States: And of the Temperate Latitudes of the North American Continent : Embracing a Full Comparison of These with the Climatology of the Temperate Latitudes of Europe and Asia.'' (Philadelphia, 1857).
1823 births
1901 deaths
People from Chautauqua County, New York
American physicists
American climatologists
Scientists from New York (state)
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