William Henry Pickering (1858–1938) was born in Boston to a prominent American family, one whose roots went back to 1636. Arguably, the most prominent member in the Pickering lineage was his great-grandfather, Timothy Pickering (1745–1829), who had been a colonel, adjutant general, quartermaster general, and a member of the Board of War during the American Revolution. He served as a delegate during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. In the new republic, he was a representative, senator, postmaster general, secretary of war, and secretary of state. The fame of his descendant William Henry Pickering, would not be among American politicians, but rather among the stars—literally.
A portrait of Timothy Pickering as secretary of state, before 1828, by Gilbert Stuart. (Public Domain)
By the time Pickering began attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), his older brother Edward (1856–1919) had been a physics professor at the school for a decade. Shortly after Pickering’s arrival at MIT, Edward was appointed professor of astronomy at Harvard College. It was the same school Timothy Pickering had graduated from more than a century prior. Edward was also appointed director of the Harvard College Observatory, a position he held for more than 40 years and one that would greatly benefit his younger brother....
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