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Meetings of the AAS: 1922-1927

Created By Brant Sponberg, edited and expanded by Paul Routly and Joseph S. Tenn.

29th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: December 27-29, 1922

Place: Cambridge/Boston, Massachusetts

Number of Members in Attendance: 75 Total; 16 Female (18 Female according to AIP Archives); 59 Male (57 Male according to AIP Archives)

Number of New Members Admitted: 13 Total; 4 Female, 9 Male

Total Membership: 398

Number of Papers Presented: 35 (36 According to AIP Archives)

Officers:

  • President, W.W. Campbell 1922-1925
  • Vice-President, John A. Miller 1921-1923
  • Vice-President, Henry Norris Russell 1922-1924
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1922-1923
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1922-1923
  • Councilors, A.O. Leuschner 1921-1924, Frederick Slocum 1921-1924, John M. Poor 1922-1925, Chas. E. St. John 1922-1925, Caroline E. Furness 1920-1923, and Philip Fox 1921-1923.
  • Ex-President(s),

Members/representatives/delegates: None

New Committees: None

Old Committees: Eclipse Committee (For the Total Solar Eclipse of September 10, 1923), Comprised of W.W. Campbell, Chair, Heber D. Curtis, Joaquin Gallo, W.J. Humphreys, Frank B. Littell, and S.A. Mitchell.

Held in Conjunction With: AAAS

Honorary Member(s): Herbert Hall Turner, Director of the University Observatory, Oxford, UK

Notes of Interest: The Twenty-ninth Meeting of the AAS took place on Wednesday to Friday, December 27-29, 1922, in affiliation with the AAAS, in Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts. A major blizzard occurred during the entirety of the Meeting, hence no photograph of the Society was taken. The headquarters for members was at the Copley Square Hotel and the Scientific Sessions were held at both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. On the first day, Wednesday, after the Morning Session, the Society voted to adjourn and to visit the Mathematical Symposium on "Space and Time," at which the speakers representing Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy respectively, were Messrs. G.D. Birkhoff, P.W. Bridgman, and Harlow Shapley, all of Harvard University. On Friday afternoon, at the closing Meeting, the address of the retiring Vice-President of Section D of the AAAS on "The Importance of Ionization," was read. Social receptions were given by Professor and Mrs. Shapley, and by Dr. and Mrs. Stetson. The Society's President, W.W. Campbell of Lick Observatory, having just returned from the Australian Eclipse, was unable to attend the Meeting. News of his elevation to the Presidency of the University of California was announced, however, and a congratulatory message was dispatched. A report from the Eclipse Committee on the Total Solar Eclipse to take place on September 10, 1923 was submitted.

Published descriptions of meeting:

30th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: September 17-20, 1923

Place: Mt. Wilson Observatory, Pasadena, California

Number of Members in Attendance: 92 Total (93 Total according to AIP Archives); 22 Female (0 Female according to AIP Archives); 70 Male (93 Male according to AIP Archives)

Number of New Members Admitted: 17 Total; 5 Female (6 Female according to AIP Archives); 12 Male (11 Male according to AIP Archives)

Total Membership: 401

Number of Papers Presented: 46

Officers:

  • President, W.W. Campbell 1922-1925
  • Vice-President, Henry Norris Russell 1922-1924
  • Vice-President, Ernest W. Brown 1923-1925
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1923-1924
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1923-1924
  • Councilors, A.O. Leuschner 1921-1924, Frederick Slocum 1921-1924, John M. Poor 1922-1925, Chas. E. St. John 1922-1925, Heber D. Curtis 1923-1926, and Anne S. Young 1923-1926.
  • Ex-President(s), Frank Schlesinger

Members/representatives/delegates: The Following Society Members were appointed Members of the Division of Physical Sciences, National Research Council: W.W. Campbell 1921-1924, Edwin B. Frost 1922-1925, Ernest W. Brown 1923-1926, and Harlow Shapley 1924-1927.

New Committees: None
Old Committees: None

Held in Conjunction With: the Pacific Division of AAAS and with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP).

Honorary Member(s): None.

Notes of Interest: The Thirtieth Meeting of the AAS was held at the Mount Wilson Observatory, Pasadena, California, on Monday to Thursday, September 17-20, 1923, in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the AAAS. All sessions were also held jointly with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The Eclipse of September 10, 1923 had attracted a large number of astronomers from all over the world, and there were present at the meeting astronomers from Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Japan, England, France, Spain, Belgium, and Holland. The program began on Sunday, September 16, with a reception and tea given by Dr. and Mrs. Adams at their home in Pasadena. On the afternoon of the next day a well-attended symposium on eclipses and relativity was held at the University of Southern California; the speakers were W.W. Campbell, S.A. Mitchell, Charles E. St. John, and R.J. Trumpler. That evening, the members of the Society and the AAS assembled again in Bovard Auditorium of the University of Southern California to hear the address of the retiring President of the Pacific Division, Dr. E. Percival Lewis, on "The Contribution of Astronomy to Civilization." Tuesday morning, September 18, the Society met in the Library of the Pasadena Headquarters of the Mt. Wilson Observatory. Ample time was afforded both before and after the morning session to tour the offices, laboratory, and shops of this unique astronomical institution. That afternoon the Scientific Sessions were held in the Norman Bridge Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology. In the evening, a special reunion dinner was held for those members who were current or former members of the Lick Observatory and the Students' Observatory of the University of California. On Wednesday morning, Society Members and friends were taken to the Mt. Wilson mountaintop where the various telescopes and ancillary equipment was on display. The final Scientific Session took place in the Dome of the Hooker 100-inch Telescope, followed by dinner at the Mt. Wilson Hotel, and then general viewing through the major instruments when the sky darkened. By Thursday noon, the meeting was essentially over.

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees. [Identifications]

31st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: December 27-28, 1923

Place: Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York

Number of Members in Attendance: 50 Total; 14 Female; 36 Male

Number of New Members Admitted: 8 Total; 1 Female; 7 Male

Total Membership: 408

Number of Papers Presented: 25

Officers:

  • President, W.W. Campbell 1922-1925
  • Vice-President, Henry Norris Russell 1922-1924
  • Vice-President, Ernest W. Brown 1923-1925
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1923-1924
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1923-1924
  • Councilors, A.O. Leuschner 1921-1924, Frederick Slocum 1921-1924, John M. Poor 1922-1925, Chas. E. St. John 1922-1925, Heber D. Curtis 1923-1926, and Anne S. Young 1923-1926.
  • Ex-President(s), Frank Schlesinger

Members/representatives/delegates: None

New Committees: a Committee for the Solar Eclipse of January 24, 1925 was appointed by the Council as follows: S.A. Mitchell, Chair, H.D. Curtis, W.J. Humphreys, J.A. Miller, Frederick Slocum, J. Stebbins, E.W. Brown, L.J. Comrie, W.S. Eichelberger, and H.N. Russell.

Old Committees: None

Held in Conjunction With: None

Honorary Member(s): Benjamin Baillaud, Director of the Paris Observatory

Notes of Interest: The Thirty-first Meeting of the AAS was held on Thursday and Friday, December 27-28, 1923, at Vassar College upon the invitation of Miss Caroline E. Furness. Members were housed and fed in the Main Building of Vassar, and the Scientific Sessions were held in the Sanders Laboratory of Chemistry nearby. In the absence of the Society President, W.W. Campbell, the Sessions were presided over by Vice-Presidents Henry Norris Russell and Ernest W. Brown. As mentioned above, the Council authorized the formation of a Committee to look into the Solar Eclipse of January 24, 1925.

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees. [Identifications]

32nd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: August 3-6, 1924

Place: Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Number of Members in Attendance: 68 Total; 11 Female; 57 Male

Number of New Members Admitted: Total 10; Female 2; Male 8

Total Membership: 411

Number of Papers Presented: 40

Officers:

  • President, W.W. Campbell 1922-1925
  • Vice-President, Ernest W. Brown 1923-1925
  • Vice-President, Heber D. Curtis 1924-1926
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1924-1925
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1924-1925
  • Councilors, John M. Poor 1922-1925, Chas. E. St. John 1922-1925, Anne S. Young 1923-1926, C.A. Chant 1924-1926, W.J. Hussey 1924-1927, and Harlow Shapley 1924-1927.
  • Ex-President(s), Frank Schlesinger

Members/representatives/delegates: The following Society Members were appointed Members of the Division of Physical Sciences, National Research Council: Edwin B. Frost 1922-1925, Ernest W. Brown 1923-1926, Harlow Shapley 1924-1927, and Joel Stebbins 1925-1928.

New Committees: None

Old Committees: Committee on Eclipses August 1924; Sub-committee on Measurements and Public Co-operation of the 1925 Eclipse.

Held in Conjunction With: None

Honorary Member(s): None

Notes of Interest: The Thirty-second Meeting of the AAS took place at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire on August 3-6, 1924 at the invitation of John M. Poor. The timing was arranged to occur just before the meeting of the British Association of the Advancement of Science to be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; in consequence, several astronomers from England and France were in attendance. On Tuesday, August 5, 1924, the Society was addressed by one of its Honorary Members, Professor A.S. Eddington, who spoke on his latest researches on the source of stellar energy. Two Committee reports were also submitted - the first from the Committee on Eclipses August 1924, and the second from the Sub-committee on Measurements and Public Co-operation of the 1925 Eclipse.

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees. [Identifications]

33rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: December 30, 1924 - January 1, 1925

Place: Washington, D.C.

Number of Members in Attendance: 77 Total; 8 Female; 69 Male

Number of New Members Admitted: 10 Total; 0 Female; 10 Male

Total Membership: 416

Number of Papers Presented: 36

Officers:

  • President, W.W. Campbell 1922-1925
  • Vice-President, Ernest W. Brown 1923-1925
  • Vice-President, Heber D. Curtis 1924-1926
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1924-1925
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1924-1925
  • Councilors, John M. Poor 1922-1925, Chas. E. St. John 1922-1925, Anne S. Young 1923-1926, C.a. Chant 1924-1926, W.J. Hussey 1924-1927, and Harlow Shapley 1924-1927.
  • Ex-President(s), Frank Schlesinger

Members/representatives/delegates: None

New Committees: None

Old Committees: None

Held in Conjunction With: AAAS

Honorary Member(s): Arthur Stanley Eddington

Notes of Interest: The Thirty-third Meeting of the AAS was held in Washington, D.C., in affiliation with the AAAS from Tuesday, December 30, 1924 to Thursday, January 1, 1925. The headquarters for the meeting was at the Powhatan Hotel. Scientific sessions were held at the Bureau of Standards, at the Naval Observatory, and at the George Washington University. Talks of note, given Tuesday afternoon in a joint meeting with the physicists, were by W.F.G. Swann on "The Trend of Thought in Physics," the Vice-President of Section B, by Heber D. Curtis on "The Equinox of 1950," the Vice-President of Section D, and by Professor V. Bjerknes of the Geofysisk Institut of Bergen, Norway on "Solar Hydrodynamics." During the meeting, it was announced by the Superintendent of the Naval Observatory, Captain Pollock, that at midnight on Wednesday, December 31, 1924 a change from astronomical to civil reckoning would take place, thus conforming to the practice followed by the principal national almanacs of the world. Actually, this change had been recommended some years ago by a committee of the Society. On Thursday morning, in Corcoran Hall of George Washington University, Professor Henry Norris Russell addressed a joint session and gave his latest views, as well as those of Professor A.S. Eddington, on "Stellar Evolution." On this Occasion, Professor Russell also reported on Dr. Edwin P. Hubble's prize-winning Work, "Cepheids in Spiral Nebulae."

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees (left side) [Identifications ]
Group photo of attendees (right side) [Identifications]

34th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: September 8-10, 1925

Place: Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota

Number of Members in Attendance: 28 Total; 3 Female; 25 Male

Number of New Members Admitted: 16 Total; 5 Female; 11 Male

Total Membership: 421 (416 According to J. Hussey)

Number of Papers Presented: 20

Officers:

  • President, George C. Comstock 1925-1928
  • Vice-President, Heber D. Curtis 1924-1926
  • Vice-President, S.A. Mitchell 1925-1927
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1925-1926
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1925-1926
  • Councilors, Anne S. Young 1923-1926, C.a. Chant 1924-1926, W.J. Hussey 1924-1927, Harlow Shapley 1924-1927, H.C. Wilson 1925-1928, and W.H. Wright 1925-1928.
  • Ex-President(s), W.W. Campbell, and Frank Schlesinger.

Members/representatives/delegates: the Following Society Members were appointed Members of the Division of Physical Sciences, National Research Council: Ernest W. Brown 1923-1926, Harlow Shapley 1924-19, Joel Stebbins 1925-1928, and C.G. Abbot 1926-1929.

New Committees: None
Old Committees: None

Held in Conjunction With: None

Honorary Member(s): None

Notes of Interest: At the invitation of Professor H.C. Wilson, the AAS met at Goodsell Observatory, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota on Tuesday to Thursday, September 8-10, 1925 (Thirty-fourth Meeting). It should be noted that Goodsell Observatory is the home of "Popular Astronomy." The opening event was an evening reception given by Dr. Cowling, the President of Carleton College, and Mrs. Cowling. In the absence of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Society, the sessions were presided over by Messrs. Comstock, St. John, and Wilson, and by Miss Anne S. Young.

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees. [Identifications]

35th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: December 31, 1925 - January 2, 1926

Place: Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York

Number of Members in Attendance: 36 Total; 9 Female; 27 Male

Number of New Members Admitted: 10 Total; 1 Female; 9 Male

Total Membership: 428

Number of Papers Presented: 22

Officers:

  • President, George C. Comstock 1925-1928
  • Vice-President, Heber D. Curtis 1924-1926
  • Vice-President, S.A. Mitchell 1925-1927
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1925-1926
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1925-1926
  • Councilors, Anne S. Young 1923-1926, C.a. Chant 1924-1926, W.J. Hussey 1924-1927, Harlow Shapley 1924-1927, H.C. Wilson 1925-1928, and W.H. Wright 1925-1928.
  • Ex-President(s), W.W. Campbell, and Frank Schlesinger.

Members/representatives/delegates: None

New Committees: None
Old Committees: None

Held in Conjunction With: None

Honorary Member(s): None

Notes of Interest: at the Invitation of C.E.K. Mees, the AAS held its Thirty-fifth Meeting at the Research Laboratory of the Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York from Thursday to Saturday, December 31, 1925 to January 2, 1926. Meeting Headquarters were at the Hotel Seneca, where members gathered the first afternoon (Thursday) to begin an inspection of the Eastman Plant as well as the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company. That evening, Dr. Mees and Mrs. Mees gave a welcoming reception. On Saturday afternoon, January 2, 1926, the retiring address of the Society's President, W.W. Campbell, was read. The meeting closed with a special dinner at the Hotel Seneca, President Comstock Presiding.

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees. [Identifications]

36th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: September 7-10, 1926

Place: Nantucket, Massachusetts

Number of Members in Attendance: 69 Total; 18 Female; 51 Male

Number of New Members Admitted: 10 Total; 1 Female; 9 Male

Total Membership: 437

Number of Papers Presented: 38

Officers:

  • President, George C. Comstock 1925-1928
  • Vice-President, S.A. Mitchell 1925-1927
  • Vice-President, A.O. Leuschner 1926-1928
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1926-1927
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1926-1927
  • Councilors, W.J. Hussey 1924-1927, Harlow Shapley 1924-1927, H.C. Wilson 1925-1928, W.H. Wright 1925-1928, C.E.K. Mees 1926-1929, and E.C. Slipher 1926-1929.
  • Ex-President(s), Frank Schlesinger, and W.W. Campbell.

Members/representatives/delegates: The Following Society Members Were Appointed Members of the Division of Physical Sciences, National Research Council: Harlow Shapley 1924-1927, Joel Stebbins 1925-1928, C.g. Abbot 1926-1929, and Frank Schlesinger 1927-1930.

New Committees: None
Old Committees: Committee on Meteors.

Held in Conjunction With: None

Honorary Member(s): None

Notes of Interest: The Thirty-sixth Meeting of the AAS was held from Tuesday to Friday, September 7 to 10, 1926, at the Maria Mitchell Observatory on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts at the invitation of Miss Margaret Harwood. The Ocean House, in the center of quaint old Nantucket Town, served as meeting headquarters. Ample time was provided between the scientific sessions to enjoy the sea, and the other attractions of the island. In the absence of Joel Stebbins, Dr. Frederick Slocum acted as Secretary. A report of the Committee on Meteors was submitted by its Chair, Dr. Chas. P. Olivier. The Nantucket Meeting was one of the largest on record, more than one hundred and twenty members and guests being present. It was also one of the most successful, both from an astronomical and from a social point of view.

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees. [Identifications]

37th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: December 28-30, 1926

Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Number of Members in Attendance: 78 Total; 21 Female; 57 Male

Number of New Members Admitted: 12 Total; 4 Female; 8 Male

Total Membership: 437

Number of Papers Presented: 18

Officers:

  • President, George C. Comstock 1925-1928
  • Vice-president, S.A. Mitchell 1925-1927
  • Vice-president, A.O. Leuschner 1926-1928
  • Secretary, Joel Stebbins 1926-1927
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1926-1927
  • Councilors, W.J. Hussey 1924-1927, Harlow Shapley 1924-1927, H.C. Wilson 1925-1928, W.H. Wright 1925-1928, C.E.K. Mees 1926-1929, and E.C. Slipher 1926-1929.
  • Ex-President(s), Frank Schlesinger, and W.W. Campbell.

Members/representatives/delegates: None

New Committees: None

Old Committees: None

Held in Conjunction With: AAAS

Honorary Member(s): None

Notes of Interest: The Thirty-seventh Meeting of the AAS was held in affiliation with the AAAS in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from Tuesday, December 28, 1926 to Thursday, December 30, 1926. The meeting was headquartered at the Hotel Walton, while scientific sessions were held in Bennet Hall of the University of Pennsylvania. In the absence of Society President, George C. Comstock, the presiding Officers were Messrs. S.A. Mitchell and Frederick Slocum. On the afternoons of the first and second days, Tuesday and Wednesday, members heard addresses by H.M. Randall, on"Infra-red Spectroscopy," by W.F.G. Swann, on "The New Quantum Dynamics," by A.E. Douglass, the retiring Vice-President of Section D, on "Solar Records in Tree Growths," and by H.D. Curtis, "The Unity of the Universe." On Wednesday evening, an informal dinner was held at the Hotel Walton for astronomers and their friends; Professor Harlow Shapley acted as toastmaster. Thursday morning, three addresses of note were given, one by H.N. Russell, entitled "The Chemistry of the Stars," another by W.J. Humphreys, "The Atmosphere,
Bottom to Top," and the third by G.P. Merrill, "The Present Condition of Knowledge on the Composition of Meteorites." After the final scientific session Thursday afternoon, a bus load of members made the circuit to the Flower Observatory of the University of Pennsylvania, through Haverford and Bryn Mawr, and, finally, to the Sproul Observatory of Swarthmore College.

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees. [Identifications]

38th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Dates: September 6-8, 1927

Place: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

Number of Members in Attendance: 48 Total; 3 Female; 45 Male

Number of New Members Admitted: 19 Total; 3 Female; 16 Male

Total Membership: 443 (429 According to J. Hussey)

Number of Papers Presented: 24

Officers:

  • President, George C. Comstock 1925-1928
  • Vice-President, A.O. Leuschner 1926-1928
  • Vice-President, J.S. Plaskett 1927-1929
  • Secretary, R.S. Dugan 1927-1928
  • Treasurer, Benjamin Boss 1927-1928
  • Councilors, H.C. Wilson 1925-1928, W.H. Wright 1925-1928, C.E.K. Mees 1926-1929, E.C. Slipher 1926-1929, R.H. Curtiss 1927-1930, and Margaret Harwood 1927-1930.
  • Ex-President(s), Frank Schlesinger, and W.W. Campbell.

Members/representatives/delegates: The following Society members have been appointed members of the Division of Physical Sciences, National Research Council: Joel Stebbins 1925-1928, C.G. Abbot 1926-1929, Frank Schlesinger 1927-1930, and Walter S. Adams 1928-1931.

New Committees: None
Old Committees: Executive Committee of the American Section of the International Astronomical Union (To organize committees in preparation for the meeting of the Union in Leiden in July, 1928).

Held in Conjunction With: None

Honorary Member(s): None

Notes of Interest: The Thirty-eighth Meeting of the AAS was held at the University of Wisconsin at the invitation of the President and Secretary of the University. Members were housed in the fraternity houses of Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The scientific sessions finished up on Thursday, September 8, 1927, and the meeting was brought to a close that evening at a final dinner, complete with after-dinner speeches. On Friday, some of the members returned via Williams Bay to visit the Yerkes Observatory. On that day, there was also held a meeting of the Executive Committee of the American Section of the International Astronomical Union to organize committees in preparation for the meeting of the International Astronomical Union in Leiden in July, 1928.

Published descriptions of meeting:

Group photo of attendees. [Identifications]

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