Daniel Kirkwood papers, 1864-1895

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Summary

Creator:
Kirkwood, Daniel, 1814-1895
Abstract:
Daniel Kirkwood was an astronomer and professor of mathematics at Indiana University almost continuously from 1856 until 1886. Collection consists of papers of Daniel Kirkwood in two series: Correspondence and Publications. Correspondence, 1864-1895, consists of both incoming and outgoing correspondence. Some noted correspondents are Cyrus Nutt, president of Indiana University 1860-1875, Joseph Swain, IU president, 1893-1902, astronomer Sherburne W. Burnham, and Arthur C. Mellette, governor of the Dakota Territory from 1861-1889. The Publications series, 1864-1891, consists of articles written by Kirkwood. Several of the publications are photocopies of the originals.
Extent:
.3 cubic feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English unless otherwise indicated.
Preferred citation:

[Item], Daniel Kirkwood papers, Collection C52, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical Note:

Daniel Kirkwood was born September 27, 1814 in Harford County, Maryland to John and Agnes (Hope) Kirkwood. After attending school in his home county, Kirkwood began his career as a teacher in 1833, at Hopewell, Pennsylvania. In 1834, Kirkwood entered the York County Academy. He graduated in 1838 with a degree in Mathematics and began teaching at York County Academy. After teaching for five years there, Kirkwood became principal of Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and after another five years, he became principal of the Pottsville Academy in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. In 1851, Kirkwood became Professor of Mathematics at Delaware College. He served as President of Delaware College from 1854-1856. In 1856, Kirkwood became Professor of Mathematics at Indiana University, where he remained until 1886, except for a few years he spent at Jefferson College in Pennsylvania from 1866-1867.

Kirkwood was a prominent astronomer who made several significant discoveries. While arranging asteroids by their distance from the Sun, Kirkwood noticed several gaps, and he discovered these gaps corresponded with the orbital resonances with the orbit of Jupiter. These gaps are now named Kirkwood gaps in his honor. Kirkwood was also the first to advance the theory that the material in meteor showers is debris from comets. Additionally, he identified a pattern relating the distances of the planets to their rotation periods. This became known as Kirkwood's Law. While this has now been discredited as the pattern does not hold, Kirkwood's Law helped him gain an international reputation among astronomers. Over the course of his career, Kirkwood published 129 publications including three books.

After retiring from Indiana University in 1886, Kirkwood was given the title Professor Emeritus. He and his wife Sarah moved to Riverside, California. In 1891, Kirkwood became a lecturer in astronomy at Stanford University. He died on June 11, 1895 in Riverside, California and was buried in Bloomington.

In his honor, the asteroid 1951 AT was named 1578 Kirkwood and a lunar impact crater was named Kirkwood. In Bloomington, Kirkwood's memory is honored by Kirkwood Avenue (1885), Kirkwood Hall (1895), and Kirkwood Observatory (1900). In 1995, he was added to the Monroe County Hall of Fame.

Scope and Content Note:

The Daniel Kirkwood papers are organized in two series, Correspondence and Publications.

The Correspondence series is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the correspondent and then chronologically within the folder. The correspondence dating late December 1876 and early January 1877 are all letters from individuals relating a meteoric event they experienced December 21.

The Publications series is arranged chronologically. Several of the publications are photocopies of the originals.

Acquisition information:
Accession 0012
Processing information:

Processed by Jaye Bausser, 2003.

Updated in 2011 by Dina M. Kellams.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized in two series: Correspondence and Publications.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

Terms of access:

The donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

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Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

Preferred citation:

[Item], Daniel Kirkwood papers, Collection C52, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Location of this collection:
Herman B Wells Library E460
1320 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
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Campus:
Indiana University Bloomington
Contact:
812-855-1127
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