Scientific Lazzaroni
Encyclopedia
The Scientific Lazzaroni is a self-mocking name adopted by Alexander Dallas Bache
and his group of scientists who flourished before and up to the American Civil War
, then gained greater support and laid the foundation for the National Academy of Sciences
. The National Academy did not, however, solve the problems facing a nation plunged in Civil War – as the Lazzaroni had hoped, nor did it centralize American scientific efforts.
These Lazzaroni were mostly professional physical scientists, interested in geophysical problems, who admitted a few kindred souls from other fields to their ranks. Their interests and range of influence extended to all of the sciences and included much of the research performed in universities and the government. They were consciously promoting the development of a professional scientific community in America.
The Lazzaroni in the United States actually existed in the 1850s and a little before, though the name was not always the same as the group changed and grew.
The members of the Lazzaroni wanted only university educated scientists, at one point, so as to create a "pure science" for America. Therefore, the scientists that did not match up to the code and "oath" of the initial members would be forced, if possible, out of their vocation and not allowed to advance unless they met the qualifications of the Lazzaroni, who often kept scientists out of any professional scientific position. They used their influence together, a group of top scientists against any one individual.
The following is a partial list of Lazzaroni and their opponents.
Alexander Dallas Bache
Alexander Dallas Bache was an American physicist, scientist and surveyor who erected coastal fortifications and conducted a detailed survey mapping of the United States coastline.-Biography:...
and his group of scientists who flourished before and up to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, then gained greater support and laid the foundation for the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. The National Academy did not, however, solve the problems facing a nation plunged in Civil War – as the Lazzaroni had hoped, nor did it centralize American scientific efforts.
These Lazzaroni were mostly professional physical scientists, interested in geophysical problems, who admitted a few kindred souls from other fields to their ranks. Their interests and range of influence extended to all of the sciences and included much of the research performed in universities and the government. They were consciously promoting the development of a professional scientific community in America.
The Lazzaroni in the United States actually existed in the 1850s and a little before, though the name was not always the same as the group changed and grew.
The members of the Lazzaroni wanted only university educated scientists, at one point, so as to create a "pure science" for America. Therefore, the scientists that did not match up to the code and "oath" of the initial members would be forced, if possible, out of their vocation and not allowed to advance unless they met the qualifications of the Lazzaroni, who often kept scientists out of any professional scientific position. They used their influence together, a group of top scientists against any one individual.
The following is a partial list of Lazzaroni and their opponents.
List of The (American) Lazzaroni
- Alexander Dallas BacheAlexander Dallas BacheAlexander Dallas Bache was an American physicist, scientist and surveyor who erected coastal fortifications and conducted a detailed survey mapping of the United States coastline.-Biography:...
(1806–1867) - Benjamin PeirceBenjamin PeirceBenjamin Peirce was an American mathematician who taught at Harvard University for approximately 50 years. He made contributions to celestial mechanics, statistics, number theory, algebra, and the philosophy of mathematics....
(1809–1880) - Louis AgassizLouis AgassizJean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
(1807–1873) - Joseph HenryJoseph HenryJoseph Henry was an American scientist who served as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as a founding member of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, a precursor of the Smithsonian Institution. During his lifetime, he was highly regarded...
(1797–1878) - Oliver Wolcott GibbsOliver Wolcott GibbsFor the writer, see Wolcott Gibbs.Oliver Wolcott Gibbs was an American chemist. He is known for performing the first electrogravimetric analyses, namely the reductions of copper and nickel ions to their respective metals.- Biography:Oliver Wolcott Gibbs was born in New York City in 1822 to...
(1822–1908) - Charles Henry DavisCharles Henry DavisCharles Henry Davis was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, serving primarily during the American Civil War, and with the United States Coast Survey.-Early life and career:...
(1807–1877) - Benjamin Apthorp GouldBenjamin Apthorp GouldBenjamin Apthorp Gould was a pioneering American astronomer. He is notable for creating the Astronomical Journal, discovering the Gould Belt, and for founding of the Argentine National Observatory and the Argentine National Weather Service.-Biography:He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, son of...
(1824–1896) - John Fries FrazerJohn Fries FrazerJohn Fries Frazer was a University of Pennsylvania graduate and first assistant geologist to the Geological Survey of Pennsylvania...
(1812–1872) - James Dwight DanaJames Dwight DanaJames Dwight Dana was an American geologist, mineralogist and zoologist. He made pioneering studies of mountain-building, volcanic activity, and the origin and structure of continents and oceans around the world.-Early life and career:...
(1813–1895) - Cornelius Conway FeltonCornelius Conway FeltonCornelius Conway Felton was an American educator. He was regent of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as professor of Greek literature and president of Harvard University....
(1807–1862)
Friends of the Lazzaroni
- James Hall (paleontologist)James Hall (paleontologist)James Hall was an American geologist and paleontologist. He was a noted authority on stratigraphy and had an influential role in the development of American paleontology.-Early life:...
(1811–1898)
- Senator Henry WilsonHenry WilsonHenry Wilson was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts...
(1812–1875)
- Jefferson Finis Davis (1808–1889) very close friends with Bache (since West Point) and Joseph Henry of the Smithsonian. Bache did not like Maury working near the area Bache regarded as his own, the Coast Survey. However, due to shipwrecks, Maury was ordereed to creat charts and the shipwrecks ceased. Bache became jealous and was determined to get revenge. Jefferson Davis was Regent of Smithsonian for several years which clashed with the Navy Observatory over Smithson's money for professional scientific advancements. Davis was a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution in 1847 and early in 1851. From 1853 to 1857 he was automatically a part of the Smithsonian directorship as Secretary of War. In 1857 he re-entered the Senate. The, great ability of Jefferson Davis was admired by Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry as well as by Bache. These three powerful men, Henry, Jeff Davis, and Bache were in every way against Matthew Fontaine Maury – including when the civil war broke out and during the civil war which started shortly after "1857". These disputes carried on throughout the war. Jeff Davis became CSA President and M F Maury was under his command. Bache, Henry, and their friends were members of the scientific Lazzaroni and the National (NAS) scientific group formed to watch over the nation as they had always desired but even so through clandestine methods to dupe President Lincoln to sign papers not debated right at the closing of a session.
The Opposition
- Asa GrayAsa Gray-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
(1810–1888) - William Barton RogersWilliam Barton RogersWilliam Barton Rogers was a geologist, physicist and educator. He is best known for setting down the founding principles for, advocating for, and finally obtaining the incorporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1861...
(1804–1882) - Charles William EliotCharles William EliotCharles William Eliot was an American academic who was selected as Harvard's president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into the preeminent American research university...
(1834–1926) - Matthew Fontaine MauryMatthew Fontaine MauryMatthew Fontaine Maury , United States Navy was an American astronomer, historian, oceanographer, meteorologist, cartographer, author, geologist, and educator....
(1806–1873)
The Neutrals
- Joseph LeidyJoseph LeidyJoseph Leidy was an American paleontologist.Leidy was professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania, and later was a professor of natural history at Swarthmore College. His book Extinct Fauna of Dakota and Nebraska contained many species not previously described and many previously...
(1823–1891) - John William DraperJohn William DraperJohn William Draper was an American scientist, philosopher, physician, chemist, historian, and photographer. He is credited with producing the first clear photograph of a female face and the first detailed photograph of the Moon...
(1811–1882) - Spencer Fullerton BairdSpencer Fullerton BairdSpencer Fullerton Baird was an American ornithologist, ichthyologist and herpetologist. Starting in 1850 he was assistant-secretary and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C...
(1823–1887)
Sources
- Nathan Reingold, Science in Nineteenth-Century America (1964).
- Frances Leigh Williams Mathew Fontaine Maury; Scientist of the Sea (1963) by Rutgers, The State University Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 63-10564
- The Lazzaroni: science and scientists in mid-nineteenth-century America. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Miller, Lillian B.