Nathaniel Bowditch: A biographical study of the social uses of mathematics (Massachusetts)

Nathaniel Bowditch (1773–1838) of Salem Massachusetts was born with a mathematical mind. From an early age he was conversant with mathematics and spent his entire life becoming expert in this respective field. This dissertation looks at how Bowditch was able to turn his calculating ability into a vehicle for social advancement. Very quickly he was noticed by influential and well-positioned town fathers who fed his hunger for math and math-oriented sciences by lending him books. In due order, he was allowed to put his arithmetic talent to practical and profitable uses by keeping the log and account books and even buying and selling cargo on several overseas merchant-ship voyages.; While on these sailing ventures, Bowditch perfected various navigational methods especially the lunar method for finding longitude at sea. The result of this effort was the publication of The New American Practical Navigator in 1802. This work made Bowditch a household name among national and international sea captains. His mathematical knowledge, coupled with his ledger skills, made Bowditch a prime candidate for the insurance business. He became president of Salem's Essex Fire and Marine Insurance Company in 1804 and remained in that position until 1823, when he removed to Boston to be head actuary of the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company. Although engaged in the business side of mathematics, Bowditch never gave up his love of pure mathematics. In his spare time he studied mathematical astronomy and eventually translated and published, with extensive commentary, renowned French mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace's Mécanique Céleste . This monumental four volume achievement, together with his other research projects, solidified his American and European reputation as a mathematical scientist.