Editing Sears Cook Walker

{{Short description|American astronomer (1805–1853)}}
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[[Image:PSM V46 D010 Sears Cook Walker.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Sears Cook Walker]]
'''Sears Cook Walker''' (March 28, 1805 &ndash; January 30, 1853) was an American [[astronomer]].

Born at [[Wilmington, Massachusetts]] son of Benjamin Walker and Susanna Cook, he graduated from [[Harvard University]] in 1825, he was a teacher till 1835, was an [[actuary]] in 1835-1845 for the Pennsylvania Company for Insurance on Lives and Granting Annuities, and then became one of several assistants at the [[United States Naval Observatory]] following orders from Superintendent [[Matthew Fontaine Maury]]. Sears C. Walker was fired by Maury for publishing United States Naval Observatory findings on the planet Neptune in a foreign nation's scientific news through the help of [[Joseph Henry]] of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. But it was too late and Walker got personal credit for work that he was only partially involved in. In 1847 he took charge of the [[longitude]] department of the [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey|United States Coast Survey]], where he was among the first to make use of the [[electric telegraph]] for the purpose of determining the difference of [[longitude]] between two stations, and he introduced the method of registering transit observations electrically by means of a [[chronograph]]. He also investigated the orbit of the newly discovered [[planet]] [[Neptune]]. He died near [[Cincinnati]] in 1853.

Walker learned to read at least seven languages.  Using his knowledge of German he read the work of German astronomers.  The annotations in his copy of [[Astronomical Notes|Astronomische Nachrichten]] show that he was interested in data reduction and computation of orbits.  He was elected a member of the  [[American Philosophical Society]] in 1837.

His brother [[Timothy Walker (judge)|Timothy Walker]] (1802-1856) was a leader of the Ohio bar.<ref>{{Cite Appletons'|wstitle= Walker, Timothy (jurist) |volume = VI |page = 331 |short= 1}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ezra Otis Kendall]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Walker, Sears Cook|volume=28|page=273|short=1}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=[[Popular Science Monthly]]|date=November 1894|pages=116–121|chapter=[[:s:Popular Science Monthly/Volume 46/November 1894/Sketch of Sears Cook Walker|Sketch of Sears Cook Walker]]}}

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[[Category:1805 births]]
[[Category:1853 deaths]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:American astronomers]]
[[Category:People from Wilmington, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:United States Coast Survey personnel]]
[[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]]