Edward Bouchet

Edward Bouchet
Bouchet at Yale, c. 1874
Born(1852-09-15)September 15, 1852
DiedOctober 28, 1918(1918-10-28) (aged 66)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
EducationYale University (PhD)
Occupations

Edward Alexander Bouchet (September 15, 1852 – October 28, 1918) was an American physicist and educator and was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from any American university, completing his dissertation in physics at Yale University in 1876. On the basis of his academic record he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. In 1874, he became one of the first African Americans to graduate from Yale College.[a][4]

Although Bouchet was elected to Phi Beta Kappa along with other members of the Yale class of 1874, the official induction did not take place until 1884, when the Yale chapter was reorganized after thirteen years of inactivity. Because of the circumstances, Bouchet was not the first African American elected to Phi Beta Kappa, as many historical accounts state; that honor belongs to George Washington Henderson (University of Vermont). Bouchet was also among the first 20 Americans (of any race) to receive a Ph.D. in physics and was the sixth to earn a Ph.D. in physics from Yale.[5][6] The Bouchet Graduate Honor Society was co-founded by Yale University and Howard University on September 15, 2005, in commemoration of Bouchet's birthday.[7][8][9][10]

  1. ^ Kaminer, Ariel (February 28, 2014). "Discovery Leads Yale to Revise a Chapter of Its Black History". The New York Times. New York, New York.
  2. ^ Bass, Carole; Mark Alden Branch (March 2014). "Yale College's first black grad: it's not who you think". Yale Alumni Magazine. New Haven, Connecticut.
  3. ^ Branch, Mark Alden (March 7, 2014). "Before Green and Bouchet, another African American Yale College Grad. Maybe". Yale Alumni Magazine. New Haven, Connecticut.
  4. ^ Donaldson, James (1988–1989). A Century of Mathematics in America. Providence, R.I.: American Mathematical Society. p. 453. ISBN 0-8218-0136-8. OCLC 18191729.
  5. ^ "EBASI - History". ebasi.org.
  6. ^ "Edward Alexander Bouchet, first Ph.D. in Physics". www.math.buffalo.edu.
  7. ^ "Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society". Yale GSAS. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society". Howard University. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Scholars". Cornell University. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "About the Program: BGHS". University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved April 19, 2024.


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