THE INCORPORATORS 139 



University of Gottingen, and contracted friendships with many 

 distinguished scholars. It is said that through the influence of 

 Alexander von Humboldt, Gould obtained a home in the family 

 of the astronomer Gauss. The favorable impression he made at 

 that time was no doubt the cause of his being offered the chair 

 of Professor of Astronomy in the University of Gottingen, and 

 Director of the Observatory. Though this was considered a 

 high honor, the first of the kind, probably, paid to an American, 

 Dr. Gould declined the position, in spite of the fact that it was 

 urged upon him a second time. His desire was to mark out for 

 himself an astronomical career in America. 



From 1852 to 1867 Dr. Gould was connected with the Govern- 

 ment service, carrying forward, under the Coast Survey, the 

 work begun by Bache and Walker in fixing the longitude of 

 places in the United States. 



During this period he served as Director of the Dudley Observ- 

 atory at Albany, assisted in reducing and computing astronom- 

 ical observations made at the Naval Observatory in Washington, 

 and made some valuable contributions to astronomical literature, 

 which added greatly to his European reputation. During the 

 Civil War, Dr. Gould served for a time as Actuary of the United 

 States Sanitary Commission. 



In 1 86 1, he married Mary Apthorp Quincy, daughter of Rev. 

 Josiah Quincy, and by her aid he was able to build an observ- 

 atory at Cambridge, and engage in astronomical observations, 

 which he did for several years. 



In 1870 Dr. Gould went to the Argentine Republic for the 

 purpose of organizing a government observatory at Cordoba. 

 He remained in Argentina for 15 years and devoted himself to 

 the study of the southern celestial hemisphere, the crowning 

 work of his life. The loss of his two elder children by drowning 

 and afterwards the death of his wife, who had ever aided him 

 in his labors, bore heavily upon his spirits, but after the last of 

 three trips to his home in Boston, he resolutely returned alone 

 to Cordoba to complete his task. When in 1885 he finally came 

 back to this country he brought with him 1400 photographic 



