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

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.''

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) {{US-physicist-stub