CLEVELAND ABBE (1838-1916) 



Fellow in Class II, Section 1, 1884. 



To be known, for a quarter-century, ap the dean of American 

 meteorologists ; to be recognized as the chief factor in bringing about 

 the inauguration of our national system of weather forecasts; to be 

 accepted as the mainstay of meteorology in the United States and as 

 one of the world authorities in this science — these are no slight 

 distinctions. Tliey were accorded, and accorded ungrudgingly^, to 

 Cleveland Abbe, for nearly fifty years an active officer of our national 

 weather service; a modest, careful scientific worker; a ready helper 

 of all who came to him for advice and information; a veritable store- 

 house of meteorological facts; a devoted student who knew the litera- 

 ture of his science as few do, and as few have done. The death of 

 Abbe, on Oct. 28, 1916, at the age of 77, has removed the last of 

 the pioneers of the older school of American meteorologists. His work 

 laid many of the foundations upon which our later progress has been 

 built up. 



Abbe early became a tremendous reader and his attention, even in 

 boyhood, was directed toward the phenomena of the sky and of the 

 air. His first work was astronomical. He studied at Ann Arbor 

 (1858-60), and with Gould in Cambridge (1860-64). He was at the 

 Pulkova Observatory, in Russia, for two years, under Struve; later 

 at the United States Naval Observatory as aid, and in 1868 became 

 director of the Cincinnati Observatory. Here his career as a meteor- 

 ologist really began. On September 1, 1869, he there inaugurated a 

 system of telegraphic daily weather reports and daily weather maps 

 for the purposes of weather forecasting. Of this undertaking he wrote 

 to his father : " I have started that which the country will not willingly 

 let die." This pioneer venture was brought to the attention of the 

 National Government, and on Feb. 4, 1870, Congress passed a joint 

 resolution establishing a meteorological service under the jurisdiction 

 of the Chief Signal Office of the Army, 



On the invitation of Gen. A. J. Meyer, the Chief Signal Officer, 

 Abbe entered the Government service in January, 1871, and was 

 given charge of weather forecasting. For some time he did the lion's 

 share of the work, and under him the early forecasters of the Signal 

 Service were trained. For twenty years (1871-1891), Abbe was 

 professor of meteorology and civilian assistant in the office of the Chief 



