Alexander Dallas Bache (1806-1867) was an important scientific reformer during the early nineteenth century. From his position as superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, and through leadership roles in the scientific institutions of the time, Bache helped bring American science into alignment with the professional nature of its European counterpart. In addition, Bache fostered the reform of public education in America.

On July 19, 1806 Alexander Dallas Bache was born into one of Philadelphia's elite families. The son of Richard Bache and Sophia Dallas, he was Benjamin Franklin's great-grandson, nephew to George Dallas (vice president under James K. Polk), and grandson to Alexander James Dallas (secretary of the treasury under James Madison). In 1821, Bache was admitted to the United States Military Academy at the age of 15, graduating first in his class four years later. He remained at the Academy for an additional two years to teach mathematics and natural history. While serving as a lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers, working on the construction of Fort Adams in Newport, R.I., he met Nancy Clarke Fowler whom he would later marry.

Bache left the Army in 1828 to begin an academic career, accepting an appointment as professor of natural philosophy and chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Although his scientific interests were broad, he had a particular interest in geophyscial research. While in Philadelphia, he constructed a magnetic observatory, and made extensive research into terrestrial magnetism, and during the 1830s he began to be recognized as a leading figure in the city's scientific community. Bache was an active member of the American Philosphical Society and the Franklin Institute, seeking to raise the professional standards of both institutions and urging them to place a stronger emphasis on original research. While at the Franklin Institute from 1830-1835, Bache led a Federally-funded investigation into steam-boiler explosions, the government's first use of technical experts to examine a matter involving public policy.

In 1836 Bache became interested in educational reform when he was asked to help organize the curriculum at Girard College, of which he later served as president. Bache spent two years in Europe visiting over 250 educational institutions. The result of his visit was a 600 page study, Report on Education in Europe, to the Trustees of the Girard College for Orphans published in 1839. Although Bache was unable to apply the report at Girard College because of its delayed opening, it proved useful in overhauling the curriculum of Philadelphia's Central High School, where he was superintendent from 1839-1842, and was widely influential among American educational reformers, helping to introduce the Prussian educational model to the United States.

After meeting many of the leading savants during a European tour, including Alexander von Humboldt, Francois Arago, and Karl Friedrich Gauss, Bache became convinced of the need to professionalize American science. His opportunity to make an impact came in 1843 with the death of Ferdinand Hassler, superindendent of the U.S. Coast Survey. In the years before the Civil War, the Coast Survey supported more scientists then any other institution in the country, and Bache and his colleagues saw the Survey as a means of gaining federal patronage for science. After a campaign by his friends and colleagues, Bache was named as Hassler's replacement. Over the next two decades Bache transformed the Coast Survey into one of the nation's leading scientific institutions, becoming an important patron of science himself in the process . Bache was not just an administrator, but remained personally involved in field work.

Bache also led the reform of American science through his leadership of an elite group known as the "Lazzaroni" or scientific beggars. The goal of the Lazzaroni was to ensure that the nation's leading scientists kept control of the nation's scientific institutions, and they were instrumental in reforming the American Association for the Advancement of Science (of which Bache was president of in 1850). In his remarkably busy schedule, Bache was a member of the Lighthouse Board (1844-1845), superintendent of the Office of Weights and Measures (1844), and a prominent regent for the Smithsonian Institution, where he convinced fellow Lazzaroni Joseph Henry to become its first secretary. Bache also played a leading role in the creation of the National Academy of Sciences, serving as its first president. When the Americn Civil War broke out, Bache focused the Coast Survey to support the war effort, was vice president of the Sanitary Commision, a consultant to the army and navy on battle plans, a superintended for Philadelphia's defence plans, and a member of the Permanent Commission of the navy in charge of evaluating new weapons. Bache died in Newport, R.I. on February 17, 1867.

The Alexander Dallas Bache Collection consists of 91 letters written primarily by Bache. In most cases, these are brief notes replying to letters that are not part of the collection. The majority of items relate to Bache's work as superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey, including letters of recommendation and introduction, and there is minor correspondence regarding the National Academy of Sciences, scientific matters, his travels in Europe, or personal matters. Of particular interest is the letter from Louis Agassiz in 1856 expressing his view of what the natural history museum of the future should be.

Provenance

Acquired from various sources between 1941 and 1983.

Preferred citation

Cite as: Alexander Dallas Bache Collection, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information

Recatalogued by J.J. Ahern, 2004.

Related material

Additional correspondence with Alexander Dallas Bache can be found in the following collections at the APS: Joseph Winlock Letterbook (B W721), Joseph Henry Letters (B H39p), John K. Kane Papers (B K13), Robert Hare Papers (B H22), Robert M. Patterson Papers (B P274), John L. LeConte Papers (B L493), J. Peter Lesley Papers (B L56), and John Fries Frazer Papers (B F865).

Bibliography

The Library holds over 50 publications of Alexander Dallas Bache, consisting of technical pamphlets and addressess. In addition, there are about 57 titles concerning Bache, primarily journal articles. A complete listing of these works can be found through the Library's OPAC, VOLE.

Naval History Note

The Bache Papers contain at least one item which may be of interest to naval historians:

Bache, Alexander Dallas. Letter to Isaac Toucey. 1859 March 21. Recommends George C. Schaeffer to post at the U.S. Naval Academy. 2 pages.

Early American History Note

This collection consists of a wide-range of general correspondence to and from Alexander Dallas Bache from 1833-1865. The correspondence includes letters to many prominent scientists, such as Louis Agassiz, Maria Mitchell, and Charles Babbage. The content reflects the wide range of Bache’s scientific activity and his extensive contacts. Topics range from cartography to lighthouses to education reform to phrenology.

The bulk of this collection is from 1843-1864, after Bache had taken charge of the Coast Survey and made it the center for federal support of the sciences. Some of the incoming letters contain reports from field work Bache and the U.S. Coast Survey supported. Others are personal in nature. Most letters from Bache are either acknowledgements or letters of introduction. The letters from Maria Mitchell, Charles Babbage, and Louis Aggasiz are notably longer than most letters and are a mix of pleasantries and scientific discussion. One of the longer Aggasiz letters includes his views on natural history museums and their future.

Alexander Dallas Bache was a leading scientist and intellectual in the nineteenth century. He was most prominently Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey. Bache used this position to establish better scientific practices in antebellum America and to professionalize the scientific community in the United States. Bache was born into a very prominent family. His great-grandfather was Benjamin Franklin, his grandfather was Alexander James Dallas, Secretary of the Treasury under James Madison, and his uncle George Dallas was James K. Polk’s Vice President. He received his education at West Point, finishing first in his class at age nineteen.

After military service, he accepted a position as a professor of natural philosophy and chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania in 1828. Bache quickly became a leading figure at both the American Philosophical Society and Franklin Institute. He also served as the first president of Girard College. After a trip abroad to study European educational practices, Bache became a leading advocate for educational reform and professionalizing scientific study in America, all of which he modeled off of what he saw in Europe.

After his return to the U.S., Bache sought and received a number of prominent appointments in federal bureaucracies, most notably as head of the U.S. Coast Survey, and served on boards of national institutions, such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Smithsonian Institution. Bache wanted the Coast Survey to serve as a bureaucratic institution dedicated to supporting high quality and rigorous scientific inquiry that would raise the standards and standing of American science. Through his efforts, he successfully made the Coast Survey the single largest employer of scientists in America, and in turn, he was able to establish scientific work as a legitimate professional field, not a playground for wealthy dilettantes. As one of the – if not the – most powerful scientists in America, Bache played a central role in establishing scientific procedures, practices, and standards in antebellum America.

Genre(s)

• General Correspondence
• Official Government Documents and Records
• Scientific Correspondence

Subject(s)

• Antebellum Politics
• Cooper Union
• Early National Politics
• Education
• Geological Survey of the State of New Jersey
• Geology
• Girard College
• Lighthouses
• National Academy of Sciences
• Natural history
• Science and Technology
• United States Coast Survey