William Howell Pegram
Encyclopedia
William Howell Pegram was a U.S.
chemist
and educator
.
, Pegram fought in the American Civil War
on the side of the Confederacy
. His combat experience and subsequent internment on the Confederacy's defeat left him with a military bearing and, untainted by cynicism, an enthusiasm to be part of the Reconstruction.
After spending the next four years on his father's farm, he entered Trinity College
(now Duke University) in 1869 and, even as an undergraduate, assisted in the teaching of science
and English literature
. Graduating in 1873, by 1874 he was professor of natural science with responsibility for the teaching of physics
, chemistry
, biology
and engineering
. It was about this time that he began courting Emma, the daughter of college president Rev. Braxton Craven
. As an uncredited report put it:
Pegram married Emma in 1875 and they parented five children, most famously George Braxton Pegram
. Tight finances at the college demanded that Pegram was still teaching English until 1879 and it was not until 1900 that he could devote himself to his principle love of chemistry.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and educator
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
.
Biography
Born Chalk Level, Harnett County, North CarolinaHarnett County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 91,025 people, 33,800 households, and 24,099 families residing in the county. The population density was 153 people per square mile . There were 38,605 housing units at an average density of 65 per square mile...
, Pegram fought in 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...
on the side of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. His combat experience and subsequent internment on the Confederacy's defeat left him with a military bearing and, untainted by cynicism, an enthusiasm to be part of the Reconstruction.
After spending the next four years on his father's farm, he entered Trinity College
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
(now Duke University) in 1869 and, even as an undergraduate, assisted in the teaching of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. Graduating in 1873, by 1874 he was professor of natural science with responsibility for the teaching of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, 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....
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. It was about this time that he began courting Emma, the daughter of college president Rev. Braxton Craven
Braxton Craven
Braxton Craven was a U.S. educator. He served as the second president of the institution that became Duke University from 1842 to 1863 and then again from 1866 to 1882. The institution was known as Union Institute from 1841 to 1851, Normal College until 1859, and Trinity College until 1924...
. As an uncredited report put it:
- In 1873 a bright young man, just out of college and full of the fine enthusiasm of youth was appointed to teach the sciences. It did not take him long to doff his coat, roll up his sleeves and resolve to make something happen. This youth was William H. Pegram. The records do not show whether this fine enthusiasm was fundamentally excited by a love of pure science or by a love of the President's daughter. The fact is well-established, however, that through it he won the unqualified approval of the President and also of the President's daughter, and thereby won for himself a career in science.
Pegram married Emma in 1875 and they parented five children, most famously George Braxton Pegram
G. B. Pegram
George Braxton Pegram was an American physicist who played a key role in the technical administration of the Manhattan Project.-Life:...
. Tight finances at the college demanded that Pegram was still teaching English until 1879 and it was not until 1900 that he could devote himself to his principle love of chemistry.