James Craig Watson
Tappan recruited Franz Brünnow as the first director of the observatory in 1854. Among Brünnow's students during his tenure at the Detroit Observatory were Asaph Hall, DeVolson Wood, Cleveland Abbe, and James Craig Watson. Brünnow stayed until 1863, when he was succeeded by James Craig Watson. Watson served for 16 years, and among his students were Otto Julius Klotz, Robert Simpson Woodward, George Cary Comstock, Marcus Baker, and John Martin Schaeberle. The full list of directors of the Detroit Observatory is as follows: