death_place death_date work_institution birth_place citizenship religion nationality field birth_date known_for article_title name alma_mater
lahore , india october 19 , 1875 columbia college new york city , new york american roman catholic american astronomer , geologist and mathematician february 6 , 1799 participation in the united states dead sea exploration expedition henry james anderson
 henry james anderson columbia college
henry james anderson

henry james anderson -lrb- february 6 , 1799 -- october 19 , 1875 -rrb- was an american scientist and educator .
he was born in new york city , and graduated from columbia college in 1818 he subsequently studied medicine at the columbia university college of physicians and surgeons in new york .
he did not practice medicine for long however , instead devoting himself to scientific and literary pursuits .
he was appointed professor of mathematics and astronomy at columbia college in 1825 , when he was twenty-six years old ; he retained his chair for twenty-five years .
anderson was elected an associate fellow of the american academy of arts and sciences in 1831 .
he married fanny da ponte , the daughter of lorenzo da ponte .
they had two children elbert ellery and edward henry .
in 1848 , he accompanied the united states dead sea exploration expedition , commanded by captain william f. lynch , as a geologist .
his reports from the expedition , `` geological reconnaissance of part of the holy land '' , were published by the united states government in 1848 and 1849 .
under the aegis of the american geographical and statistical society , anderson circulated a petition urging the united states to promote jewish colonization in palestine , part of the jewish restoration movement that flowered at the time .
anderson converted to catholicism in 1849 ; he was active in his new faith for the rest of his life .
he was made president of the particular council of new york in 1856 , and later the head of the supreme council in 1860 .
he visited pope pius xi in rome several times , and was eventually made a knight commander of the order of st. gregory the great .
he made a pilgrimage to lourdes and rome in 1875 ; afterwards , he travelled to australia in order to observe a transit of venus .
he planned to return home by way of india , but , after mountain-climbing in the himalayas , he died of a disease in lahore on october 19 .
he is buried in a vault under the church of the madonna in fort lee , new jersey , a church in whose construction he had been involved .
