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Professor Joseph Lovering died at four o'clock yesterday morning, at his home on Kirkland Street, Cambridge. He had been ill for ten days with chronic bronchitis.
Professor Lovering was born in Charlestown, Mass., Dec. 25th, 1813. In 1830 he entered Harvard as a sophomore, and, graduating fourth man in the class of 1833, he delivered the Latin Salutatory oration at the last Commencement exercises held in the old church where the Law School now stands. Two years later he received an "A. M." from Harvard and delivered the Latin Valedictory Oration. In 1836 he was appointed tutor in Mathematics and physics at Harvard, and in 1838 Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural History. He held this professorship at the time of his death, having received the title of Professor Emeritus about three years ago.
In the years 1853-4 and 1857-70 Professor Lovering was Regent of the University. He was interested in the Harvard Observatory and its growth was largely due to his energy. In 1867-76 he was connected with the United States Coast Survey. In 1868-9 he was granted a year's absence and in 1879 received the degree of LL. D. from Harvard. From 1854 to 1873 he was permanent secretary of the American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science and edited fifteen volumes of its proceedings. He had been elected a member of the American Acad. of Arts and Sciences in 1839 and was its corresponding secretary from 1869-73, vice-president, 1873-80 and president, 1880-7.
Professor Lovering has delivered nine courses of twelve lectures each, before the Lowell Institute, on astronomy and physics. He also gave shorter lecture courses at the Smithsonian Institute, the Peabody Institute of Baltimore, the Charitable Mechanics Institute of Boston and in many cities and towns of New England. His books and scientific articles contributed to magazines number over a hundred in all. Perhaps his best-known writing is on the Aurora Borealis. Among the magazines that he wrote for are the American Journal of Science, the Journal of the Franklin Institute, the American Almanac, the North American Review, the Christian Examiner, and the Popular Science Monthly.
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