Photograph, by Mathew Brady, of John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United States, considered the Astronomy President for his efforts to bring improved astronomical observatories to America.
(Image Sources: Mathew Brady, Wikipedia.org, By Original - Unknown; Copy - Mathew Brady - National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42373159)
By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower
On Presidents' Day, SpaceWatchtower
takes another look at the scientific interests and backgrounds of
past American Presidents. Several American Presidents, from John
Quincy Adams, truly the Astronomy President (profiled in
SpaceWatchtower on Presidents' Day of 2014 by the Cincinnati
Observatory Historian John E. Ventre), to Thomas Jefferson and John
F. Kennedy, had a great interest and / or background in science.
1st President (1789 to 1797) –
George Washington
Long before he was an American General
or President, George Washington was a professional land surveyor.
Starting in 1748, he started a surveying career that lasted the rest
of his life. In 1749 he received a commission from the College of
William and Mary to become the professional surveyor for the new
Virginia County of Culpepper. By 1752, after completing nearly 200
surveys totaling more than 60,000 acres, he abandoned a professional
surveyors career in favor of a military career. However, he continued
surveying, off-and-on, until about five weeks before his death in
1799.
More information:
2nd President (1797 to 1801) –
John Adams
In
1780, John Adams was one of the founders of the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest learned societies in the United
States. The Academy carries out nonpartisan policy research by
bringing together scientists, scholars, artists, policymakers,
business leaders, and other experts to make multidisciplinary
analyses of complex social, political, and intellectual topics.
3rd President (1801 to 1809) –
Thomas Jefferson
For more than two
decades, Thomas Jefferson was President of the American Philosophical
Society, founded by Benjamin Franklin it was the preeminent
scientific organization of its day. He was fascinated by the
sciences, including paleontology, archeology, agriculture,
engineering, architecture, and mathematics. In the Federal
Government, he promoted the sciences and recommended to Congress a
survey of the nation's coast, which led to the National Geodetic
Survey. He founded the University of Virginia.
As Secretary of
State, he oversaw the Patent Office and helped establish patent law.
Although he invented several items, he never patented any of them,
believing, like Benjamin Franklin, that inventions should be shared
for the benefit of mankind. As President, he sponsored the Lewis and
Clark Expedition to explore the American West, after the purchase of
the huge Louisiana Territory from France.
In
1809, Thomas Jefferson said, "Nature intended me for the
tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme
delight..." He also said, "Science has liberated the ideas
of those who read and reflect, and the American example has kindled
feelings of right in the people."
More information:
6th President (1825 to 1829) –
John Quincy Adams
Truly
the “Astronomy President,” John Quincy Adams was likely the
President with the highest IQ (estimated at 70 points above average).
He worked hard to establish the Harvard College Observatory and the
U.S. Naval Observatory. Near the end of his life, though in feeble
health, he insisted on traveling to lay the corner-stone for the
Cincinnati Observatory in 1843, which two years later would
house the world's second largest
telescope.
He
estalished a uniform system of weights and measures, improved the
patent system, saw to it that there was a good survey of the nation's
coasts, and generally was a strong supporter of science. He was also
instrumental in helping establish the Smithsonian Institution, as a
Congressman after leaving the Presidency.
More information:
16th President (1861 to 1865) –
Abraham Lincoln
During his
Presidency, Abraham Lincoln signed a bill creating the National
Academy of Sciences. He was so concerned with farming practices that
he enforced scientific techniques onto the agricultural industry. He
saw to it that farmers were educated, at government expense
(including the beginning of land-grant agricultural colleges), and
provided the most up-to-date information on farm machinery. He
encouraged the search for alternative fuels, so the country would not
be so reliant on sperm whale oil. He was also the first President to
hold a patent---on his invention of a method to lift boats off of
sandbars and shoals.
20th President (1881) – James A.
Garfield
A
mathematics wizard, James Garfield developed a trapezoid proof
of the Pythagorean theorem, which was published in the New England
Journal of Education. And, as with Abraham Lincoln, James
Garfield continued to promote Federal Government support of
agricultural science.
26th President (1901 to 1909) –
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (TR)
Theodore
Roosevelt was an amazing personality. In addition to being a
politician who reached the Presidency of the United States, he was
also an avid conservationist and naturalist. His interest in science
started as a child, when he acquired an interest in zoology and
taxidermy and became a young ornithologist. Near the end of
his life, he made a grand scientific expedition into the jungles of
South America, supported by New York City's American Museum of
Natural History, which almost cost him his life.
Theodore Roosevelt always had an
interest in the environment and in conservation. President Roosevelt
used his authority to protect wildlife and public lands by creating
the United States Forest Service (USFS) and establishing 150 national
forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 national game preserves, 5
national parks, and 18 national monuments.
The National Monuments Act, also known
as the Antiquities Act, became law in 1906 with the strong support of
President Roosevelt. This law gives the President of the United
States the authority to
restrict the use of specific public lands owned by the federal
government for the preservation of historic, prehistoric, and
scientific interest.
Theodore Roosevelt also closely studied
naval power and technology, resulting in the publication of two books
on naval warfare that continue to be considered among the subject's
leading books on the subject.
More information:
27th President (1909 to 1913) –
William Howard Taft
In
1913, William Howard Taft was one of the first (of three recipients)
to receive a Gold Medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences,
one of the oldest honorary U.S. societies which promotes the
study of the social sciences and supports social science research and
discussion.
31st President (1929 to 1933) –
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover,
who entered Stanford University in its inaugural year of 1891,
originally majored in mechanical engineering, but soon changed his
major to geology after working for John Casper Branner, chair of the
University's Geology Department. After interning in the Summer months
with the U.S. Geological Survey, he chose a career as a mining
geologist. He worked for many years as a mining engineer, after
having trouble finding a job as a mining geologist, later becoming a
mining consultant. This all preceded his life in the public sector
which included Chair of the Commission for Relief in Belgium,
Director of the U.S. Food Administration, the third U.S. Secretary of
Commerce, and as the 31st President of the United States.
32nd President (1933 to 1945) –
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
Like
his fifth cousin Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a
life-long interest in the environment and conservation starting with
an interest in forestry on his family estate when he was young. He
created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which upgraded the
National Park and National Forest systems, which he also widely
promoted. He also insisted that the CCC and the Works Progress
Administration upgrade state parks, as well as manage the
ravaging effects of the Dust Bowl.
With the suggestion of Albert Einstein,
Enrico Fermi, and Leo Szilard, FDR created the first scientific
mega-project, the Manhattan Project, which created the first atomic
bomb, ending World War II quickly and decisively.
33rd President (1945 to 1953) –
Harry S. Truman
After
World War II, Harry Truman worked with preeminent scientist
Vannevar Bush to increase Federal funding for scientific research.
And, in 1950, he signed a bill into law creating the National Science
Foundation.
34th President (1953 to 1961) –
Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike)
For D-Day during
World War II, U.S. General Eisenhower needed to use astronomy and
meteorology to determine the best time for Allied troops to invade
Normandy. Spring Tides and a Full Moon were essential for D-Day to be
a success.
More information
on how science was used to prepare for D-Day:
After
the surprise launch of the Russian Sputnik satellite in 1957,
President Eisenhower insisted on forming a civilian agency or
administration to coordinate the American Space Program, rather than
allowing the military to control it. The President believed a
civilian agency would be more effective in the new mission, avoiding
inter-military service rivalries that he felt had already
showed difficulty in launching the first American satellite.
More information on President
Eisenhower's proposal for NASA:
35th President (1961 to 1963) –
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK)
Although
originally skeptical regarding the American Space Program, further
Russian advances into Outer Space led to President Kennedy proposing
an American mission to land Americans on the Moon, and return them
safely to the Earth, by the end of the decade.
More information:
36th President (1963 to 1969) –
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ)
LBJ
was a strong advocate for the American Space Program while he was in
the U.S. Senate, helping to shepherd the bill that led to the
formation of NASA through Congress. As U.S. Vice President, President
Kennedy appointed LBJ as both the Chairman of the President's
Ad Hoc Committee for Science and Chairman of the National Aeronautics
and Space Council. As President, LBJ pushed-through President
Kennedy's vision of landing Americans on the Moon by the end of the
decade. LBJ was President during the first crewed mission to orbit
the Moon, Apollo 8, and on 1969 July 16 was the first former or
incumbent U.S. President to attend a rocket launch, the launch of
Apollo 11 which resulted in the first Americans to land on the Moon.
More information:
37th President (1969 to 1974) –
Richard M. Nixon
Although not
particularly known for an interest in environmentalism, President
Nixon's legacy includes the establishment of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA - 1970) and the passage of environmental laws
such as the Clean Air Act (1970), Clean Water Act (1970), and the
Endangered Species Act (1973).
President Nixon
was in office when President Kennedy's vision of Americans landing on
the Moon before 1970 occurred. However, once the “Space Race”
with the Russians was won, Americans quickly lost interest in the
Space Program, and the President was not interested in spending the
huge amounts of public money that would be necessary for a permanent,
crewed base on the Moon or a crewed mission to Mars, as NASA had been
planning. Instead, NASA launched the first American space station,
Skylab, and in 1972 one of the canceled Apollo missions to the Moon
was re-purposed as a joint American Apollo – Russian Soyuz mission
in Earth orbit.
More information
on President Nixon's Space Policy:
39th President (1977 to 1981) –
Jimmy Carter
In
1941, Jimmy Carter began his college career with undergraduate
coursework in engineering at Georgia Southwestern College in
Americus, Georgia. In 1942, he transferred to the Georgia Institute
of Technology in Atlanta, then in 1943 he achieved his dream of
attending the U.S. Naval Academy. In 1946, he graduated from the
Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and was
commissioned in the Navy as an Ensign, where he served aboard
submarines. In 1953, he was preparing to become an engineering
officer on the submarine Seawolf, when his father died. Jimmy Carter
then resigned his Navy commission, to return home to manage the
family peanut farm.
Jimmy Carter encouraged an incremental
Space Program, but did support the Space Shuttle program and the
Hubble Space Telescope (which was not actually launched until 1990).
A message written by President Carter was included on the golden
records sent into space with the two Voyager space probes, which have
now left our Solar System for Interstellar Space.
Having inherited the 1970s Energy
Crisis, President Carter established the U.S. Department of Energy,
promoted research into alternative energy sources, and proposed
energy conservation schemes.
Although a Baptist Sunday School
teacher, the President did have a friendship with the late
evolutionary biologist Stephen J. Gould.
40th President (1981 to 1989) –
Ronald Reagan
Ronald
Reagan was a strong proponent of space exploration, including the
Space Shuttle program and the International Space Station. He started
the controversial Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), which
detractors called “Star Wars,” due to its reliance on space-based
defense systems; some people believe SDI, although never perfected,
helped to hasten the end of the Cold War. Although not an
environmentalist, he quickly banned ozone-depleting
chlorofluorocarbons when a hole in the atmosphere's ozone layer was
scientifically demonstrated.
43rd President (2001 to 2009) –
George W. Bush
In President
George W. Bush's first years in office, he increased funding for the
National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health as
part of his education agenda. He also created educational programs to
strengthen the grounding of science and mathematics for American high
school students. However, rising inflation led to a cut in the
National Institutes of Health funding in 2006, the first such cut to
the agency in 36 years.
Although
President Bush said he believed global warming was real and is a
serious problem, his Administration's stance on the issue remained
controversial among scientists and environmentalists. He claimed
there is a "debate over whether it's man-made or
naturally caused." Critics of his Administration contend that he
did little to solve the problem of global warming and did not
publicize the problem.
In his 2006 State of the Union Address,
the President announced his Advanced Energy Initiative to increase
energy development research. In the State of the Union Address over
the following two years he repeated his pledge to work towards
increasing alternative fuel production. In the 2008 address, he also
said he would work with other countries on clean energy projects to
reverse the growth of greenhouse gasses.
Although President Bush said he favors
research using adult stem cells, he issued the first veto of his
Presidency for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would
have repealed a previous bill thus allowing the use of embryonic stem
cells in research.
44th President (2009 to 2017) –
Barack Obama
In a major space
policy speech in April of 2010, President Obama announced changes to
the NASA mission including ending the Aries I and V rockets and
Constellation program for returning humans to the Moon, in favor of
funding Earth science projects, continuing missions to the
International Space Station, and a new rocket type and research and
development for an eventual crewed mission to Mars.
In
2009, he proposed new regulations on power plants, factories,
and oil refineries to curb greenhouse gases causing global warming.
He also opposed the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, due to its
potential increase in carbon pollution. To expand the conservation of
Federal lands, he used the Antiquities Act to create 25 National
Monuments and expand 4 others.
President Obama,
during his tenure, began several popular science projects: annual
White House Science Fair, annual White House Astronomy Night, and a
2016 White House Science Frontiers Conference in Pittsburgh.
More information
on the 2016 White House Science Frontiers Conference and the White
House Astronomy Night at the Allegheny Observatory, both in
Pittsburgh:
Internet Link to Additonal Information ---
List of Presidents of the United States of America:
Link >>>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States
Related Blog Posts ---
"Requirement for World War II D-Day: Full Moon !" Thur., 2019 June 6.
"White House Science Frontiers Conference & Astronomy Night in Pittsburgh."
Fri., 2016 Oct. 14.
170th Anniversary: Smithsonian Institution." Wed., 2016 Aug. 10.
"Presidents' Day: The Astronomy President." Mon., 2014 Feb. 17.
"JFK: Loss of the Man Who Sent Us to the Moon." Fri., 2013 Nov. 22.
Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
Monday, 2020 February 17.
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Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
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Formerly
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original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center),
Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie
Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie,
Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
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