Edward S. Holden

Edward Singleton Holden (November 5, 1846 – March 16, 1914) was an American astronomer and the fifth president of the University of California.

Early years He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1846 to Edward and Sarah Frances (Singleton) Holden. From 1862 to 1866, he attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he obtained a B.S. degree. He later trained at West Point in the class of 1870.

Career In 1873 he became professor of mathematics at the US Naval Observatory, where he made a favorable impression on Simon Newcomb. On August 28, 1877, a few days after Asaph Hall discovered the moons of Mars Deimos and Phobos, he claimed to have found a third satellite of Mars. Further analysis showed large mistakes in his observations. He was director of Washburn Observatory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1881 to 1885. He was elected a member of both the American National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1885. He discovered a total of 22 NGC objects during his work at Washburn Observatory.

Holden was president of the University of California from 1885 until 1888, Holden was awarded five honorary degrees: an M.A. degree from Washington University in 1879, an LL.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1886, an LL.D. from Columbia University in 1887, a Sc.D. from the University of the Pacific in 1896 and a Litt.D. from Fordham College in 1910.

Works He wrote many books on popular science (and on other subjects, such as flags and heraldry), including science books intended for children, for example:

On the Mughal Emperors. Real Things In Nature. A Reading Book of Science for American Boys and Girls, 1916.

Legacy Holden was a founding member of the Cosmos Club.

The asteroid 872 Holda, the crater Holden on the Moon and the crater Holden on Mars are all named in his honor.

Family His cousin George Phillips Bond was director of Harvard College Observatory. His grandson, also named Edward Singleton Holden, was a well known inventor with numerous patents to his name. He is credited with designing the rolled stainless steel gauge present in most modern fire extinguishers.