Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/326

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DRAPER


DRAPER


DRAPER. Daniel, meteorologist, was born ill N.'w York city. April 2. 1S41; son of John William aii-1 Antonia Coetana tie Paiva Pereira (Ganlut-n DrajHT, and grandson of Jt)hn Christo- pher and Sijrah (Ripley) Drajier of London, Eng- land. His mother was the daughter of Dr. C^ardner of Rio Janeiro, and his wife Coetana de Paiva Pereira of Port- ug-al. His education was acquired chiefly under the tutelage of his father. In 1857-60 he was associated with his brother, Dr. Henry Draper, in building the obsers-a- tory at Hastings-on- Hudson, N.Y., and in 1860-G.j was an ap- jirentice in the Nov- elty iron works. He was assistant port en- gineer of a line of between


New York and New Orleans, La., 1865-66, and for two years following was secretary to liis father, assisting in the preparation of "The Intellectual Development of Euroi^e " and the "Civil AVar in America." He was appointed director of tiie Meteorological observatory in Cen- tral Park, New York city, in 1869, and in that capacity made many imjwrtant investigations,- discoveries and inventions. He married, April 28, 1887, Ann Manry, daughter of F. M. Ludlow of St. Louis. Mo., anil had three children: Dorothy Catherine, Harriet Manr>' and John William. He was elected a member of the American philosoph- ical society in 1880 and a fellow of the American association for the advancement of science in 1881. The University of the city of New York conferred upon him the degi-ee of Ph.D. in 1880.

DRAPER, Henry, scientist, was born at Chris- tian villt-, Mecklenlmrg county, Va., March 7, 1837; son of Prof. John William and Antonia Coetana de Paiva Pereira (Gardner) Draper. He attended the department of arts and science of the University of the city of New York, lSry2-rA, and was graduated, M.D. in 1858. He then stud- ied in the hospitals of Europe for nearlj- a year and on liis return to America, he constructed, with the aid of his brother Daniel, an ob.servatory at Hastings-on-Hudson, making the telescope himself. He was house physician at Bellevue hospital, 1859-60, and in the latter year was appointed assistant in chemistry and physiology in the University of the City of New York. He was profes,sor of analj-tical chemistry there, 1862-70: profes-sor of analytical chemistrj- and physiology, 1870-82, and of chemistiy and phy.si-


ologj', 1882. In 1864 he served in the civil war as surgeon of the 12th N.Y. regiment. In 1863 he made a fifty-inch photograph of the moon, and in 1871 he constructed a telescope mirror twenty- eight inches in diameter. In 1872 he photo- graphed the dilTi-action si^ectrum from G to O. He was superintendent of the government com- mission for the observation of the transit of Venus in 1874, receiving from congress a gold medal for his services, and in 1877 he proved the presence of oxygen in the sun, by photographic process. In 1879 he photographed and showed the coincidence of bright lines of oxygen and the sun, and in 1881 photographed stellar spectra and the nebula of Orion. He was a member of the National academy of science, and of the Ameri- can philosophical society. He was married in 1867 to Maiy Anna, daughter of Courtlan Jt Palmer of New York city. He received the degree of LL.D. from the University- of the city of New York and from the Universitj- of Wisconsin in 1882. He published: ^4 Text-book on Chemistry (1866); and manj' contributions to the American Journal of Photography; the Xew York Jorcrnal of Medicine; the Quarterly Journal of Science; the American Journal of Science, and other similar publications. After his death, by the endow- ment of his widow, his work was continued by Prof. E. C. Pickering of Harvard university. He died in New York city. Nov. 20, 1882.

DRAPER, John Christopher, phj-sician, was born at Christianville. Mecklenburg coimty, Va., March 31, 1835; son of Prof. John William and Antonia Coetana de Paiva Pereira (Gardner) Draper. He attended the arts department of the University of the city of New York, 1850-52, and the medical department, 185.5-57, receiving his degree in 1857. After a brief period of Euroi>ean study he was professor of natui-al science in the Univei-sity of the city of New York, 1858-60, and professor of analj-tical and practical chemistry, 1858-71. He was also professor of chemistry in Cooper union in 1859; professor of physiologj' and natural histoiy in the College of the city of New York, 1863-85; and profes.sor of chemistry in the medical department of the University of the city of New York, 1865-85. He served in the civil war in 1864 as surgeon of the 12th regiment, N.G., S.N.Y. He was married to Charlotte Merriam of New York city. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Trinity college in 1873. He published: .4 Text-hook on Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene, f,r the r.«e nf Schools a7ul Colleges (1866; 6th ed., 1«83); A Practical Labora- tory in Medical Chemistry (1882): and Medical Physics, A Text-hook for Students and Practitioners of Medicine (1885); be.sides many contributions to the American Journal of Science. He died in New York citv, Dec. 20, 1885.