Catherine Wolfe Bruce

The Bruce Medal, awarded by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Credit: Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Catherine Wolfe Bruce was born in New York City, NY in January 1816. Her father, George Bruce, had emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland in 1795. George and his brother had become leaders in printing and type (typographers), and in 1814, produced the first books in America that were printed from stereotype plates. By the time George died in 1866, he was a prominent New York citizen and was the nation's foremost typographer. Growing up in a wealthy family, Catherine was educated privately in New York, later traveled throughout Europe, and could speak Latin, French, Italian, and German. After her father passed, she donated $50,000 for his memorial, the George Bruce Branch of the New York Free-Circulating (later the New York Public) Library.

It wasn't until she was 73 that Catherine took an interest in astronomical research. The subject had long fascinated her, but she lacked the technical training required for research. However, because of her wealth, she was able to donate large sums of money to astronomical research. One notable donation was that of $50,000 in June 1889 to the construction of a new 24" photographic telescope (astrograph) for the Harvard College Observatory. This telescope would allow for the photographing of objects never before captured on photographic plates. (Because of its large aperture, this telescope would be able to collect more light and thus see fainter astronomical objects). The construction of the telescope took a few years, but it was eventually completed in 1893. Upon completion, it was tested at Harvard and then transported to Arequipa, Peru in 1896 where it was set up on the top of a mountain (less atmospheric disturbance) and was used to photograph the night sky for the next 30 years.

The 24" telescope in Arequipa, Peru that Catherine Wolfe Bruce financed.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Catherine went on to donate over $120,000 to various observatories and institutions around the world. Bruce grants assisted many astronomers at crucial stages in their careers, and Bruce instruments enabled a significant portion of astronomical research in the twentieth century. Before her death in 1900, Catherine provided $2,750 to the Astronomical Society of the Pacific to fund an award for lifetime achievement in astronomy - the Bruce Medal has been awarded annually since 1898 and is one of the most prestigious honors an astronomer can receive.