True Life Tuesday: Edward Bouchet

Edward Alexander Bouchet was born on September 15, 1852 in New Haven, Connecticut. His parents were William Francis and Susan nee Cooley Bouchet. He was the only son and the youngest of the couple's four children. His father came to New Haven in 1824 from Charleston, SC when his owner attended Yale University. Once the owner he freed William who worked as a janitor and porter at the school. He was also deacon at Temple Street Church, the oldest black church in the city. Edward's mother took in laundry for Yale students. 

Edward attended Artisan Street Colored School. While there he w-as mentored by the only teacher, Sarah Wilson. He then attended New Haven High School from 1866-8. After that he went to Hopkins School from 1868-70 where he was valedictorian. He then attended Yale where his studies were paid for by the Alfred Cope Society of Friends and for Colored Youth. The society was hoping that he would come and teach there once he graduated. 

Edward earned his PhD in 1876. He was the first African American to earn a PhD from an American University.  He was also among the first 20 Americans of any race to earn a PhD and the 6th person to receive a PhD in physics from Yale. He was elected Phi Beta Kappa in 1874 but was not inducted until 1884 when the Yale chapter was reorganized after 13 years of no activity. 

After graduating Edward taught physics and chemistry for 26 years at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania). He resigned from the school in 1902 after the all white board voted to eliminate the school's collegiate program. From 1905-8 he was director of academics at St. Paul's Normal and Industrial School (Now St. Paul's College). in Lawrenceville, VA. Finally, he was principal and teacher at Lincoln High School in Gallipolis, Ohio from 1908-13.

He retired in 1913 because of asteriosclerosis and moved back to New Haven. He died in his childhood home in 1918 after an illness caused by high blood pressure. He never married or had children. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Evergreen Cemetery. In 1998 Yale placed a headstone on his grave. The American Physical Society confers the Edward A. Bouchet award to outstanding physicists for the contributions to physics. The Edward Bouchet Abdus Salem Institute was founded in 1988 to promote collaboration between African and American physicists and encourage the training of physicists from the African continent. Finally, in 2002 Yale and Howard University founded the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.