John Lewis Tiarks, FRS (born Johann Ludwig Tiarks, 10 May 1789 – 1 May 1837) was the British astronomer to the North American Boundary Line Commission. Tiarks was born in the town of

Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday resort. Jever was granted c ...

, then in the

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and Bi ...

, and now in Lower Saxony, Germany. He entered the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

to study theology but transferred to the mathematics course. Having gained his degree he initially moved to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, but then moved to England in 1810 to escape Napoleon. There he secured employment as Assistant Librarian to

Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James C ...

. In 1817, with the help of Banks, he was appointed British Astronomer to the Boundary Commission created by the

Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...

in 1814 to resolve the border between the United States and Canada westward from the Great Lakes to the Rockies. Between 1818 and 1821 he carried out a number of specific surveys along the proposed border. He married in 1822 and returned to England. Due to delays in proceeding with the border project, the British Admiralty asked him in the meantime to determine the longitude of various European locations, such as Madeira, with the help of chronometers, for which the '' SS Comet'' had been specially outfitted. He was joined from 30 June to 17 August 1824 by

Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several elements for t ...

who used the voyage to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

to test his zinc protectors for ships' bottoms. In 1825 Tiarks was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

as "a person well versed in mathematics and nautical astronomy". In 1825 he was sent again to North America to ascertain the co-ordinates of the most north-westerly point of the Lake of the Woods, enduring many privations in that remote wilderness. On completion he returned to England to be sent in 1828 to the Netherlands, where the King of the Netherlands was arbitrating on the border issue. In 1835 his health broke down and he died in 1837 at age 48.

References

External links

Dictionary of Canadian Biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiarks, John Lewis 1789 births 1837 deaths British surveyors Fellows of the Royal Society