Catharine Wolfe Bruce | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1816-01-22)January 22, 1816 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 13, 1900(1900-03-13) (aged 84) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Parent(s) | George Bruce Catherine Wolfe |
| Relatives | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe (cousin) |
Catherine Wolfe Bruce (January 22, 1816 – March 13, 1900) was a noted American philanthropist and patron of astronomy.[1]
Bruce was born on January 22, 1816. She was the daughter of theGeorge Bruce (1781–1866), a famous type founder who was born inEdinburgh, and Catherine Wolfe (1785–1861), the daughter of David Wolfe (1748–1836) of New York City. One of five children,[2] her brother wasDavid Wolfe Bruce (1824–1895), who, along withDavid Wolfe Bishop, inherited the fortune of their cousin, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe.[3]
She studied painting, learned Latin, German, French and Italian, and was familiar with the literature of those languages.[4]
In 1890, she wrote and published a translation of the "Dies Irae."[4]
Due to an ever-increasing illness, she was confined to her home and died on March 13, 1900, at 810Fifth Avenue in New York City.[4][5][6]
In 1877, she donated $50,000 for the construction of a library building and the purchase of books in memory of her father. The library, known as "The George Bruce Library" was completed in 1888 and was located at 226 West 42nd Street and designed byG. E. Harney. The building was sold in 1913 and the proceeds were used to build the current George Bruce library located on 125th Street in Harlem and designed byCarrère & Hastings.[7]
As an amateur astronomer, she turned to philanthropy in this field at the age of 73, only after reading an article bySimon Newcomb claiming all the major discoveries in astronomy have occurred.[2] Bruce turned to telescope makerAlvan Graham Clark to see how she could support research in astronomy.
Bruce made over 54 gifts to astronomy, totaling over $275,000, between 1889 and 1899. She donated funds to theHarvard College Observatory (U.S.A.),Yerkes Observatory (U.S.A.) andLandessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl (Germany), run byMax Wolf at the time, to buy new telescopes at each of those institutes.[8][9] In 1887, she donated theGeorge Bruce Free Library.[10]
Bruce established theBruce Medal of theAstronomical Society of the Pacific in recognition of lifetime achievements and contributions to astrophysics, and is one of the prestigious awards in the field.[11][12]
Asteroid323 Brucia, discovered byMax Wolf is named after her, as well as the craterBruce on theMoon.[13]She was awarded a gold medal by theGrand Duke of Baden.[8]
AstronomerJohann Palisa gave her the honor of naming313 Chaldaea as a token for the gratitude of astronomers.[14]
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