Edward Bouchet
| Edward Alexander Bouchet | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
September 15, 1852 New Haven, Connecticut |
| Died | October 28, 1918 (aged 66) New Haven, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Yale University (PhD) |
| Occupation | |
Edward Alexander Bouchet (September 15, 1852 – October 28, 1918) was an American physicist and educator and was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from any American university, completing his dissertation in physics at Yale in 1876. On the basis of his academic record he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. In 1874, he had become one of the first African Americans to graduate from Yale College.
Although Bouchet was elected to Phi Beta Kappa along with other members of the Yale class of 1874, the official induction did not take place until 1884, when the Yale chapter was reorganized after thirteen years of inactivity. Because of the circumstances, Bouchet was not the first African American elected to Phi Beta Kappa as many historical accounts state; that honor belongs to George Washington Henderson (University of Vermont). Bouchet was also among the first 20 Americans (of any race) to receive a Ph.D. in physics and was the sixth to earn a Ph. D. in Physics from Yale.
Edward Bouchet was born at home in New Haven, Connecticut, to parents William and Susan (Cooley) Bouchet. At that time, there were only three schools in New Haven open to black children. Bouchet was enrolled in the Artisan Street Colored School with only one teacher, who nurtured Bouchet's academic abilities. He attended the New Haven High School from 1866 to 1868 and then Hopkins School from 1868 to 1870, where he was named valedictorian (after graduating first in his class). He ranked sixth in his class on graduation from Yale.
Bouchet was unable to find a university teaching position after college, probably because of racial discrimination. Bouchet moved to Philadelphia in 1876 and took a position at the Philadelphia's Institute for Colored Youth (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), where he taught physics and chemistry for the next 26 years. He resigned in 1902 at the height of the W. E. B. Du Bois-Booker T. Washington controversy over the need for an industrial vs. collegiate education for blacks.
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