KLUMPKE, DOROTHEA

Natural Philosopher (1861 - 1942)

Dorothea Klumpke Roberts (1861 - 1942 CE) was an internationally known astronomer. A wonderful article was written about her life by Robert Aitken in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The Klumpkes wanted the best training for their children, both boys and girls. So Mrs. Klumpke took the children to Europe and put them in schools in France and Germany. Dorothea in due time was admitted to the University of Paris where she received the Docteur ès Sciences, the first women to do so. She then went to work at Paris Observatory where she supervised the production of the French part of the great Carte de Ciel - a astronomical catalog of the sky. In 1893 the Paris Academy of Sciences elected her Officier d'Académie. She married an astronomer, Dr. Isaac Roberts, moved to England, and became his assistant. In 1934 she received the Chevalier de la Légion d' Honneur and received the Cross of the Legion at the hands of the President of the Republic of France. She returned to San Francisco to live where she continued her interest in astronomy, helping young researchers with their careers.

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