Alexis Caswell (January 29, 1799 – January 8, 1877) was an American educator, born in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. He graduated Brown University in 1822, and entered the

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

ministry.

Career

Caswell was

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

of mathematics and

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancient wo ...

at Brown University from 1828 to 1850, and of mathematics and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

from 1850 to 1864. Professor Caswell was president of Brown University from 1868 to 1872. He was one of the founders of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and served as its

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

in 1857. Besides several papers on

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

in the ''Reports of 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 ...

'', he wrote ''The Life of Francis Wayland'', a ''Textbook on Astronomy'', and a ''Memorial of John Barstow'' (1864).

Family

Caswell was the son of Samuel (1760-1851) and Polly Foster Seaver Caswell (1768-1818). Through his father, he is a direct descendant of

Peregrine White Peregrine White ( 20 November 162020 July 1704) was the first baby boy born on the Pilgrim ship the '' Mayflower'' in the harbour of Massachusetts, the second baby born on the ''Mayflower''s historic voyage, and the first known English child b ...

, the first baby boy born aboard the Mayflower while it was anchored at the Massachusetts harbor. On May 17, 1830, Caswell married Esther Lois Thompson (September 1, 1802 – June 25, 1850) of Providence, the daughter of Edward Kinnicutt Thompson and his wife, Sarah Kuhn Swope/Swoope Thompson. She was a 3rd great-granddaughter of Roger Kinnicutt, who was born in England and emigrated to America around 1635. Her distant cousins include G. Hermann Kinnicutt and

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

. They had at least six children: # Sarah Swope Caswell (1831-1903), who married

James Burrill Angell James Burrill Angell (January 7, 1829 – April 1, 1916) was an American educator and diplomat. He is best known for being the longest-serving president of the University of Michigan, from 1871 to 1909. He represented the transition from sma ...

# Mary Thompson Caswell (1832-1832) # Edward Thompson Caswell (1833-1887) # Alexis Caswell Jr. (1835-1837) # Joseph Thompson Caswell (1838-1838) # Joseph Thompson Caswell II (1840-1913) After Esther's death, Caswell married Elizabeth Brown Edmands (1817-1880) in 1855. His notable descendants include

James Rowland Angell James Rowland Angell (; May 8, 1869 – March 4, 1949) was an American psychologist and educator who served as the 16th President of Yale University between 1921 and 1937. His father, James Burrill Angell (1829–1916), was president of the Un ...

, Alexis C. Angell, Robert Cooley Angell, and Constance Green.

Bibliography

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References

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External links

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Biographical memoir of Alexic Caswell by LoveringNational Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caswell, Alexis 1799 births 1877 deaths 19th-century American mathematicians American astronomers American biographers American male biographers American educational theorists American textbook writers Brown University alumni Brown University faculty Baptists from Massachusetts People from Taunton, Massachusetts Presidents of Brown University 19th-century American male writers 19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence)