Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/104

 HARKNESS

HARKNESS

Grammar (1869); Practical Introduction to Latin Prose Composition (1869); Csesar's Commentaries on the (uiUic War (1870); Cicero's Select Orations (1873); Sallust's Catiline (1878); Preparatory Course in lAitin Prose Authors (^ISIS); Progressive Exercises in PcaJinff and U'rUinf/ Latin (1883); First Year in Latin (1883); Easy Method for Be- ginners in Latin (1890); Complete Latin Grammar (1898); Sliort Latin ( t ramma r (ISdS); and contri- butions to the Tninsactions of the American phillu<;iral association and to BibUotheca Sacra. HARKNESS, Albert Granger, educator, was horn in I'rovid.'iu-e. KI.. Nov. 19. 1857; son of Alltt'rt an. I JIaria A. iSniitli) Ilarkness. He was graduated at Brown in 1879; was a teaclier of classics in Peddie institute, Hightstown, N.J., 1880-81: studied in the universities of Germany, 1881-83: was professor of Latin and German in Mailison university, Hamilton, N.Y., 1883-89; associate professor of Latin at Brown university, 1889-93; and was tlien appointed to the cl;air of Roman literature and liistorv at Brown. He ■was given leave of ai>sence and spent the yeai's lS!).J-!».j in Europe for study and travel.

HARKNESS, William, astronomer, was born in Ecclefechan, Scotland, Dec. 17, 1837; son of the Rev. James and Jane (Weild) Harkness; and grandson of "William and Cecilia (Riddell) Harkness and of David and Margaret (Gass) "Weild. His father was a physician, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, a Presbyterian clergyman in Scot- land, 1832-39, and pa.stor of churches in New York city. Fish- kill Landing and Rochester, N.Y.. 1839- 59, and in Jersey City, N.J., 1862-78.' The son studied at Lafay- ette college. 1854-55, and was graduated from the University of Roclie.ster in 1858. He was graduated in medicine in 1862 and was appointed aide at the U.S. naval observatory, "Washington, D.C.. in August, 1862. He served as a volim teer surgeon in the second battle of Bull Run, and in the repulse of Early in his attack on the national capital in July, 1864. lie again served with the army. He was professor of mathe- matics in the U.S. navy with the relative rank of lieutenant-commander from August. 1863. and continued at the naval observatory In 1865-66, he made a cruise on the U.S. monitor Monndvurk to .study the action of Iter compasses. an<l to observe terrestrial magnetism, visitni- duriii/

the cruise the principal ports of South America, and his results were published by the Smitliso- nian institution in 1873. He observed the total eclipse of the sun, Aug. 7, 1869, at Des Moines, Iowa, and there discovered the 1474 line of the solar corona. He also observed the total solar

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eclipse of December, 1870, in Sicily, and that of August, 1878, in Cre.ston, "Wyoming. In 1874 he visited Hobart Town, Tasmania, to observe the transit of Venus, and afterward completed the tour of the world, returning to the United States in 1875. He was promoted to the relative rank of commander in 1872 and captain, April, 1817, 1878. He was appointed a member of the U.S. transit of "Venus commission in 1871, and finally became its executive officer, fitting out all the expeditions of 1882 to various parts of the world. He designed most of the instruments used by the transit of Venus expeditions, including the com- parator for measuring the astronomical photo- graphs obtained, a dui)licate of which was subsequently made for the Lick observatory. After the transit of December, 1874, the problem of devising an accurate method of measuring the photographs obtained by the various United States parties was assigned to him, and he solved it in a perfectly satisfactory manner, although the difficulties involved were so great that the most eminent astronomers of England and Ger- many failed to obtain anj- useful results from the photographs taken by their parties. All the observations of the transit of December, 1882, made under the direction of the United States commission, were entrusted to Professor Hark- ness for reduction, and with the aid of a small corps of assistants lie comjileted that work in a little more than six years. From 1891 until December, 1894, lie was occupied in the new Naval observatory, designing and mounting its instruments and apparatu.s, and in establishing a suitable .system of routine observing. On Oct. 21, 1892, lie was apjiointed chief astronom- ical assistant to the superintendent of the Naval oliservator}', and on Sept. 21. 1894. he was
 * i|ipoiiited astronomical director of the U.S.

\':iv;il oli-crv;irorv. In addition to the astro-