Edward Bouchet
American physicist (1852–1918) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Edward Alexander Bouchet (September 15, 1852 – October 28, 1918) was an American physicist and educator and was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from any American university, completing his dissertation in physics at Yale University in 1876. On the basis of his academic record he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. In 1874, he became one of the first African Americans to graduate from Yale College.[lower-alpha 1][4]
Edward Bouchet | |
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Born | (1852-09-15)September 15, 1852 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
Died | October 28, 1918(1918-10-28) (aged 66) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
Education | Yale University (PhD) |
Occupations |
Although Bouchet was elected to Phi Beta Kappa along with other members of the Yale class of 1874, the official induction did not take place until 1884, when the Yale chapter was reorganized after thirteen years of inactivity. Because of the circumstances, Bouchet was not the first African American elected to Phi Beta Kappa, as many historical accounts state; that honor belongs to George Washington Henderson (University of Vermont). Bouchet was also among the first 20 Americans (of any race) to receive a Ph.D. in physics and was the sixth to earn a Ph.D. in physics from Yale.[5][6] The Bouchet Graduate Honor Society was co-founded by Yale University and Howard University on September 15, 2005, in commemoration of Bouchet's birthday.[7][8][9][10]