Struve family
Encyclopedia
The Struve family were a dynasty of five generations of astronomer
s from the 18th to 20th centuries. Members of the family were also prominent in chemistry
, government
and diplomacy
.
, then part of both Denmark and Germany The first scientist member of the family was mathematician Jacob Struve
(1755–1841); his forebears included Johann Struve (1700–1778) and Abel Struve (1719–1762). In 1783, Jacob Struve married Maria Emerentia Wiese (1764–1847). Their children were:
In the beginning of 19th century, Jacob Struve sent his sons to Dorpat (now Tartu
, Estonia
) in the Russian Empire
to avoid conscription in the Napoleonic armies. His fourth son, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm, taught at the University of Dorpat
from 1813 and full professor and director of Dorpat Observatory from 1820. Ennobled by Tsar Nicholas I, at whose request he supervised construction of Pulkovo Observatory, he served as director of the new observatory from 1839 to 1862.
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm married Emilie Wall (1796–1834) in 1815. They had 12 children, including the following:
Following the death of his first wife, he married Johanna Henrietta Francisca Barthels (1807–1867). They had six children, including Karl von Struve
(1835–1907), diplomat.
Jacob Struve's cousin, Anton Sebastian von Struve, was President of the German Eternal Imperial Diet at Regensburg
and later a Russian Imperial Provy Councillor. He and his wife, née Johanne Dorothea Werner, were the parents of:
Otto Wilhelm von Struve
(1819–1905) was director of Pulkovo Observatory from 1862 to 1889; he moved to Germany in 1889. He married 1) Emilie Dyrssen (1823–1868); 2) Emma Jankowsky (1839–1902). The children from his two marriages were:
Karl Hermann Struve had a son, Georg Otto Hermann Struve (1886–1933), who was also an astronomer. Georg Otto Hermann had two sons, Wilfried Struve (1914–1992) and Rheinhard Struve (1919–1943).
Gustav Ludiwig Struve (1858–1920) and his wife, Elizaveta, had a son Otto Struve
(1897–1963), who became a prominent astronomer in the United States following fighting in World War I and for White Russians
in the Russian Revolution. His other son, Warner was a officer for the White Russians but died from tuberculosis. His daughter, the youngest, drowned in the same period. Gustav had to leave Russia and went with his surviving son Otto Struve into exile in Turkey, where he died in 1920 at age 62.
Otto Struve (1897–1963) then got job in the United States through his Uncle Hermann Struve
, who lived and worked at Berlin-Babelsberg Observatory. After moving to the United States, Otto Struve married Mary Martha Lanning in 1925, but there were no children.
Berngard Vasilyevich Struve (1827–1889) was a government official in Siberia before serving in turn as governor of Perm and Astrakhan. He was the father of:
Vasily Berngardovich Struve married Borisa Alexandrovna Turaeva (1868–1920). They were the parents of:
Peter Berngardovich Struve emigrated to France following the Russian Revolution. He was the father of:
Aleksey Petrovich Struve married Ekaterina Andreevna Katuar. Their children were:
(1835–1907) was Russian minister to Japan, the United States (1882–1892) and the Netherlands (1892–1904). In line with German practice, he was entitled to use the title of Baron von Struve while abroad, though this was denied him while resident in Germany or Russia. The American press generally rendered his title as Baron de Struve.
He and his wife, Maria Nikolaevna Annenkova (1844–1889) were the parents of:
Owing to ill health, his wife Maria returned to Russia in 1885, dying at Kielmarky, near St. Petersburg in 1889.
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve's cousin, Johann Christoph Gustav von Struve
, son of diplomat Anton Sebastian von Struve (1729—1802), became a diplomat in the Russian service primarily in Regensburg, Bavaria. Johann Christoph and his wife, née Sibilla Christiana Friedrike von Hochstetter, were the parents of 11 children, among them:
Another line was represented by Henry G. Struve
(1836–1905), a native of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
who emigrated to the United States in 1852. An attorney, he was elected mayor of Seattle, Washington
, in 1882 and 1883. Struve and his wife, the former Lascelle Knighton, were the parents of:
His younger son, Frederick Karl Struve, was elected president of the Seattle National Bank in 1914.
During the astronomical observations, members of the Struve family wore the beobachtungskäppchen or "cap for observation", which was made for the husband by his bride. The cap was hand made from red velvet and had golden threads embedded around it. The number of threads corresponded to the generation, so Friedrich Georg Wilhelm had one and Georg Hermann four.
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s from the 18th to 20th centuries. Members of the family were also prominent in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
.
Origins
The first branch of the family that produced five generations of astronomers originated in AltonaAltona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
, then part of both Denmark and Germany The first scientist member of the family was mathematician Jacob Struve
Jacob Struve
Jacob Struve was a German mathematician and father of the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve....
(1755–1841); his forebears included Johann Struve (1700–1778) and Abel Struve (1719–1762). In 1783, Jacob Struve married Maria Emerentia Wiese (1764–1847). Their children were:
- Carl Struve (1785–1838)
- Ernst Struve (1786–1822)
- Gustav Struve (1788–1829)
- Christina Struve (1791–1853)
- Friedrich Georg Wilhelm (von) StruveFriedrich Georg Wilhelm von StruveFriedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve was a Danish-Baltic German astronomer from a famous dynasty.-Life:...
(1793–1864) - Ludwig Struve (1795–1828)
- Johanna Struve (1797–1871)
In the beginning of 19th century, Jacob Struve sent his sons to Dorpat (now Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
) in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
to avoid conscription in the Napoleonic armies. His fourth son, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm, taught at the University of Dorpat
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
from 1813 and full professor and director of Dorpat Observatory from 1820. Ennobled by Tsar Nicholas I, at whose request he supervised construction of Pulkovo Observatory, he served as director of the new observatory from 1839 to 1862.
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm married Emilie Wall (1796–1834) in 1815. They had 12 children, including the following:
- Otto Wilhelm von StruveOtto Wilhelm von StruveOtto Wilhelm von Struve was a Russian astronomer. In Russian, his name is normally given as Otto Vasil'evich Struve...
(1819–1905), astronomer - Genrikh StruveGenrikh StruveGenrikh Vasilievich Struve was a Russian chemist from the Struve family and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences....
(1822–1908), chemist - Berngard Vasilyevich Struve (1827–1889), government official in SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and later governor of PermPermPerm is a city and the administrative center of Perm Krai, Russia, located on the banks of the Kama River, in the European part of Russia near the Ural Mountains. From 1940 to 1957 it was named Molotov ....
and AstrakhanAstrakhanAstrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
.
Following the death of his first wife, he married Johanna Henrietta Francisca Barthels (1807–1867). They had six children, including Karl von Struve
Karl de Struve
Karl von Struve was a Russian nobleman and politician. He served, in turn, as Russian Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Japan, the United States, and The Netherlands....
(1835–1907), diplomat.
Jacob Struve's cousin, Anton Sebastian von Struve, was President of the German Eternal Imperial Diet at Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
and later a Russian Imperial Provy Councillor. He and his wife, née Johanne Dorothea Werner, were the parents of:
- Catherina Elisabetha von Struve (1759–1838)
- Johann Christoph Gustav von StruveJohann Christoph Gustav von StruveJohann Christoph Gustav von Struve was born on 26 September 1763 in Regensburg, in the Kingdom of Bavaria during the Holy Roman Empire of German States to notable diplomat Anton Sebastian von Struve, the Russian ambassador to the Reichstag in Regensburg...
(1763–1828) - Johann Georg von Struve (1766–1831)
- Johann Christian von Struve (1768–1812)
- August Wilhelm von Struve (1770–1838)
- Heinrich Christoph Gottfried von Struve (1772–1851)
- Albrecht von Struve (1774–1794)
- Philippine Rosina Elisabetha von Struve (1775–1819)
Otto Wilhelm von Struve line (3rd Gen)
Otto Wilhelm von Struve
Otto Wilhelm von Struve was a Russian astronomer. In Russian, his name is normally given as Otto Vasil'evich Struve...
(1819–1905) was director of Pulkovo Observatory from 1862 to 1889; he moved to Germany in 1889. He married 1) Emilie Dyrssen (1823–1868); 2) Emma Jankowsky (1839–1902). The children from his two marriages were:
- Karl Hermann StruveHermann StruveKarl Hermann Struve was a Russian astronomer. In Russian, his name is sometimes given as German Ottovich Struve or German Ottonovich Struve ....
(1854–1920), astronomer; moved to Germany 1895 - Gustav Ludwig StruveLudwig StruveGustav Wilhelm Ludwig Struve was a Russian astronomer, part of the famous Baltic German Struve family. In Russian, his name is sometimes given as Lyudvig Ottovich Struve or Lyudvig Ottonovich Struve .-Biography:Gustav Wilhelm Ludwig Struve was born in 1858 in Tsarskoye Selo – a former...
(1858–1920), astronomer - Emilie Nathalie Wilhelmine Struve (1874–1965)
Karl Hermann Struve had a son, Georg Otto Hermann Struve (1886–1933), who was also an astronomer. Georg Otto Hermann had two sons, Wilfried Struve (1914–1992) and Rheinhard Struve (1919–1943).
Gustav Ludiwig Struve (1858–1920) and his wife, Elizaveta, had a son Otto Struve
Otto Struve
Otto Struve was a Russian astronomer. In Russian, his name is sometimes given as Otto Lyudvigovich Struve ; however, he spent most of his life and his entire scientific career in the United States...
(1897–1963), who became a prominent astronomer in the United States following fighting in World War I and for White Russians
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
in the Russian Revolution. His other son, Warner was a officer for the White Russians but died from tuberculosis. His daughter, the youngest, drowned in the same period. Gustav had to leave Russia and went with his surviving son Otto Struve into exile in Turkey, where he died in 1920 at age 62.
Otto Struve (1897–1963) then got job in the United States through his Uncle Hermann Struve
Hermann Struve
Karl Hermann Struve was a Russian astronomer. In Russian, his name is sometimes given as German Ottovich Struve or German Ottonovich Struve ....
, who lived and worked at Berlin-Babelsberg Observatory. After moving to the United States, Otto Struve married Mary Martha Lanning in 1925, but there were no children.
Berngard Vasilyevich Struve line (3rd gen)
- Vasily Berngardovich Struve (1854–1912)
- Peter Berngardovich StruvePeter Berngardovich StruvePeter Berngardovich Struve – Пётр Бернгардович Струве was a Russian political economist, philosopher and editor. He started out as a Marxist, later became a liberal and after the Bolshevik revolution joined the White movement...
(1870–1944), political economist, philosopher and editor - Alexander Berngardovich Struve, confidential secretary
Vasily Berngardovich Struve married Borisa Alexandrovna Turaeva (1868–1920). They were the parents of:
- Vasily Vasilevich Struve (1889–1965), academic.
Peter Berngardovich Struve emigrated to France following the Russian Revolution. He was the father of:
- Gleb Petrovich StruveGleb StruveGleb Petrovich Struve was a Russian poet and literary historian from the Struve family. His father was Peter Berngardovich Struve, and his nephew is another prominent writer, Nikita Struve....
(1898–1985), poet and literary historian - Aleksey Petrovich Struve
- Konstantin Petrovich Struve (1903–1948)
- Arkady Petrovich Struve (1905–1951)
Aleksey Petrovich Struve married Ekaterina Andreevna Katuar. Their children were:
- Peter Struve (1925–1968)
- Nikita Struve (b. 1931), professor and editor of several Russian-language periodicals in Europe.
Karl von Struve line (3rd gen)
Karl von StruveKarl de Struve
Karl von Struve was a Russian nobleman and politician. He served, in turn, as Russian Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Japan, the United States, and The Netherlands....
(1835–1907) was Russian minister to Japan, the United States (1882–1892) and the Netherlands (1892–1904). In line with German practice, he was entitled to use the title of Baron von Struve while abroad, though this was denied him while resident in Germany or Russia. The American press generally rendered his title as Baron de Struve.
He and his wife, Maria Nikolaevna Annenkova (1844–1889) were the parents of:
- Boris de Struve (d. 1912)
- Vera de Struve (1876–1949)
- Olga de Struve
- Elena de Struve
- Maroussia de Struve
Owing to ill health, his wife Maria returned to Russia in 1885, dying at Kielmarky, near St. Petersburg in 1889.
Other lines
Johann Christoph Gustav von Struve
Johann Christoph Gustav von Struve was born on 26 September 1763 in Regensburg, in the Kingdom of Bavaria during the Holy Roman Empire of German States to notable diplomat Anton Sebastian von Struve, the Russian ambassador to the Reichstag in Regensburg...
, son of diplomat Anton Sebastian von Struve (1729—1802), became a diplomat in the Russian service primarily in Regensburg, Bavaria. Johann Christoph and his wife, née Sibilla Christiana Friedrike von Hochstetter, were the parents of 11 children, among them:
- Gustav von Struve (1805–1870), a publicist, political agitator and soldier who emigrated the United States following the collapse of the Baden Revolution of 1848.
- Johann Ludwig Karl Heinrich von StruveJohann Ludwig Karl Heinrich von StruveJohann Ludwig Karl Heinrich von Struve was the youngest son of the large brood of children of Johann Christoph Gustav von Struve and Sibilla Christiane Friederike von Hochstetter; part of the Struve family and brother to Gustav Struve...
(1812–1898), who emigrated to Fayette County, Texas after the failure of the Revolution of 1848, but eventually returned to Rothenberg in der Odenwald, near Darmstadt, Germany where he died. His two eldest sons with his first wife Stephanie von Borowski; Friedrich Wilhelm Amand Struve (1838–1902) and Louis Joseph Struve (1839–1921), remained in Texas even though the remainder of Heinrich's family returned to Germany with him.
Another line was represented by Henry G. Struve
Henry G. Struve
Henry G. Struve was a prominent lawyer, legislator, historian and banker in Seattle, Washington, during the 19th and early 20th centuries...
(1836–1905), a native of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
Oldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
who emigrated to the United States in 1852. An attorney, he was elected mayor of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, in 1882 and 1883. Struve and his wife, the former Lascelle Knighton, were the parents of:
- Harry K. Struve
- Helen (Mrs. Harry F. Meserve)
- Frederick Karl Struve
- Mary Struve
His younger son, Frederick Karl Struve, was elected president of the Seattle National Bank in 1914.
Family traditions
Jacob Struve once expressed his attitude to life in his letter to Friedrich, which characterizes the family spiritDuring the astronomical observations, members of the Struve family wore the beobachtungskäppchen or "cap for observation", which was made for the husband by his bride. The cap was hand made from red velvet and had golden threads embedded around it. The number of threads corresponded to the generation, so Friedrich Georg Wilhelm had one and Georg Hermann four.