astronomy

John Hosea Washburn

John Hosea Washburn is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand John Hosea Washburn rather than just read about it. In short: John Hosea Washburn (1859–1932) was an American chemist with expertise in agricultural chemistry, and university administrator who served as the founding president of Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (forerunner of the University of Rhode Island) from 1892 to 1902, and director of the National Farm School (the forerunner of Delaware Valley University) from 1902 to 1917. Early life and education…

Key takeaways

John Hosea Washburn belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect John Hosea Washburn to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of John Hosea Washburn from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John Hosea Washburn (1859–1932) was an American chemist with expertise in agricultural chemistry, and university administrator who served as the founding president of Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (forerunner of the University of Rhode Island) from 1892 to 1902, and director of the National Farm School (the forerunner of Delaware Valley University) from 1902 to 1917.

Early life and education Washburn was born June 5, 1859, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to Hosea Washburn (1819–1894) and Weltha Whitmore (Packard) Washburn (1826–1859). In 1878, he earned his bachelor's degree (S.B.) in a joint Agricultural Science program between Massachusetts Agricultural College and Boston University. After graduation he taught in Massachusetts public schools for a year and became head of the Rhode Island Reform School in Cranston, Rhode Island. During that time he engaged in studies in chemistry at Brown University. He married Martha Williams Merrow, daughter of Joseph Battel Merrow and Harriet Millard Merrow, on May 26, 1887, in Willimantic, Connecticut, a month prior their departure for Germany for his doctoral studies. He earned his doctoral degree in 1889 at the University of Göttingen in the field of agricultural chemistry.

Academic career Washburn's first academic appointment was as an instructor of chemistry at Connecticut Agricultural College in 1883, where he remained until 1887 when he traveled to Germany for his doctoral studies. Upon his return to the United States in 1889, he was appointed as first principal of the newly founded Rhode Island Agricultural School that was associated with the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station founded the prior year in Kingston, Rhode Island. Upon the founding of the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892, he became its first president. During his tenure as president of the college, he was instrumental in initiating the sports programs, instituting admissions requirements in line with the requirements of the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, establishment of the Military Science and Tactics Program, transfer of Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 funds from Brown University for support of the college, and establishment of a marine biological laboratory as part of the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station. Washburn was respected by the students, with George Edward Adams, one of the 1894 graduates who later served as Dean of Agriculture remarking, "The students not only liked him, but he made a lasting impression." Additionally, he was respected nationally serving as the chairperson of the Section on Mechanic Arts of the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, and in 1894 made the treasurer of the same organization. Also, in 1894, he was elected to the Board of Visitors of Wellesley College. However, his self-opinionated and occasional undiplomatic manner with members of the college's Board of Managers led to his ouster and his resignation as president in 1902. Shortly after leaving Rhode Island, Washburn became the director of the newly founded National Farm School in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. During his fifteen-year tenure as director, he was able to grow student enrollments substantially and leave the institution on a steady financial footing. He retired from academic life in 1917, and he died at his home in Doylestown in 1932.

Family Relations Washburn's wife, Marta Williams (Merrow) Washburn was the youngest daughter of Connecticut industrialist Joseph Battel Merrow (1819–1897), president of the Merrow Sewing Machine Company. She was granddaughter of Joseph Maken Merrow (1784–1845), the founder and namesake of the company, that began with the manufacture of gunpowder, but developed their international reputation as manufacturers of industrial sewing machines, knitting machines, and crocheting machines. Her brother, Joseph Millard Merrow (1848–1947) assumed the company presidency upon their father's death. Washburn's son, John Merrow Washburn (1896–1984) assumed the presidency of the company upon his uncle's retirement.

Legacy In 1921, an agricultural laboratory building was built on the central quadrangle of the Rhode Island State College and named Washburn Hall in his honor.

Selected publications Washburn, J.H. and B. Tollens. 1889. Ueber Mais und Gewinnung von krystallisirtem Rohrzucker aus demselben. Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft 22(1):1047-1048. https://doi.org/10.1002/cber.188902201227 Washburn, J.H. and B. Tollens. 1890. Ueber die Abscheidung von krystallisirtem Rohrzucker aus dem Maiskorn. Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie 257(2):156-160. https://doi.org/10.1002/jlac.18902570203

References

External links University of Rhode Island Historical Timeline

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Hosea Washburn

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Hosea Washburn claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to John Hosea Washburn before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about John Hosea Washburn ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of John Hosea Washburn

In research: John Hosea Washburn appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses John Hosea Washburn in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: John Hosea Washburn is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1859 births, 1932 deaths, American chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Hosea Washburn outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study John Hosea Washburn in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what John Hosea Washburn means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain John Hosea Washburn out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is John Hosea Washburn in simple terms?

Why does John Hosea Washburn matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study John Hosea Washburn?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on John Hosea Washburn.