Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers: How a Nineteenth-Century Man of Business, Science, and the Sea Changed American Life

by Tamara Plakins Thornton

In this engagingly written biography, Tamara Plakins Thornton delves into the life and work of Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838), a man Thomas Jefferson once called a "meteor in the hemisphere." Bowditch was a mathematician, astronomer, navigator, seafarer, and business executive whose Enlightenment-inspired perspectives shaped nineteenth-century capitalism while transforming American life more broadly. Enthralled with the precision and certainty of numbers and the unerring regularity of the physical universe, Bowditch operated and represented some of New England's most powerful institutions—from financial corporations to Harvard College—as clockwork mechanisms. By examining Bowditch's pathbreaking approaches to institutions, as well as the political and social controversies they provoked, Thornton's biography sheds new light on the rise of capitalism, American science, and social elites in the early republic.

Fleshing out the multiple careers of Nathaniel Bowditch, this book is at once a lively biography, a window into the birth of bureaucracy, and a portrait of patrician life, giving us a broader, more-nuanced understanding of how powerful capitalists operated during this era and how the emerging quantitative sciences shaped the modern experience.

Genres: History, Biography, Science, Nonfiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2016

About the author

Tamara Plakins Thornton is professor of history at the State University of New York, Buffalo.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people who are familiar with the name Nathaniel Bowditch nowadays know him for his navigational textbook, which is still carried aboard ships today. Yet this was just one artifact of a long and distinguished life which helped shape the world in which we live today. One of the many achievements of Tamara Plakins Thornton's superb biography of Bowditch is to illuminate the manifold aspects of this legacy in a way that helps readers to appreciate fully the true breadth of his accomplishments and what they reveal about a changing America.

One of the things that made Bowditch's attainments so remarkable was the humbleness of his beginnings. The son of an impoverished sailor, Bowditch was apprenticed to a ship's chandler at an early age. While learning the various aspects of maritime commerce, he taught himself advanced mathematics, and it was while on a series of voyages that he corrected the errors in the standard British navigational texts that led to the publication of his The American Practical Navigator. As Plakins points out, this made him a celebrity not just for the importance of his work, but that it was one of the first examples of Americans asserting an intellectual equality with their recently-defeated mother country, becoming a point of pride for many citizens of the young country.

After developing a modest fortune during five voyages as a "supercargo" (business agent) and ship's captain, Bowditch shifted his focus to finance, becoming president of the Essex Fire and Marine Insurance Company. Here is mathematical skills not only established his preeminence as an insurance actuary, but they also led him over time to promote a new model of business. Here Plakins makes a subtle argument for Bowditch as a link between the 18th century Enlightenment and the modern world of the late 19th and 20th centuries, as his preference for order and systems led him to establish forms and procedures that regularized previously haphazard business practices. As his stature grew, so did his opportunity to spread his approach, eventually leading him to reform Harvard University's administration and to employ trusts as a means of preserving the fortunes of the Boston "Brahmins" from the erosion experienced by their predecessors. His wealth was such that he was able to fund the publication of his translation and commentary of Pierre Simon-Laplace's Celestial Mechanics, which cemented his reputation as perhaps the foremost American intellect of his generation.

Finishing Thornton's biography may leave readers wondering why Bowditch is not better remembered today for his role in shaping our country. Her book goes far towards rectifying this, not just with a perceptive analysis that covers the range of his many activities but with a text that is a pleasure to read. Anyone with an interest in the history of the early republic, or simply those who enjoy a great and well-written work, should read this book. It is a fitting testament to a great and under-appreciated American.

[Barbara Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child, I had read "Carry on, Mr. Bowditch" and was looking forward to revisiting my childhood fascination with this figure in U.S. History and reading a more sophisticated biography in this book. I was not disappointed. Thornton's biography of Bowditch is not only enjoyable to read, but also highlights contributions Bowditch made to the rationalization of American economic and cultural organizations as well as covering in depth and critical nuance his better-known improvements to navigation texts. Moreover, the book sets Bowditch's life within the context of his family and social relationships and networks. It serves as a door into the world of his times and offers a fascinating discovery of changes in the early U.S. economy, society, and culture. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about U.S. History or biography.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun(ny) fact(s): Summer reading challenge Bingo with the Dayspring youth #22: free space!

Favorite quote/image: “We are used to thinking that mathematically established truths are free of personal bias and individual peculiarity. Numbers are impartial. They do not lie. But historians of science have detailed a centuries-long process whereby numbers acquired this reputation, shedding associations with magic and mysticism, and have argued that establishing quantification as a realm of objectivity served a variety of human goals. Objectivity, they point out, is defined not so much as realism, but as the opposite of subjectivity, in other words, as impersonality.” (pg. 183)

Honorable mention: "He enjoyed two glasses of wine a day, an amount he referred to, in a masterpiece of mathematical wit and ambiguity, as his 'certain quantity.'" (pg. 6)

Why: In fifth grade, we read the Newberry-award winning juvenile biography, Carry On Mr. Bowditch, an inspiring story of hard work, perseverance, and the triumph of numbers, complete with thrilling sea voyages–a nineteenth century American dream. However, years later, I have still never heard the name Bowditch with the exception of an odd trivia question here and there, so when I found this biography at my local library, my interest was piqued. Thornton's work is extremely well-researched from his birth to his death, circumstances, and impact, offering a much more nuanced treatment of his life than the children's stories (indeed she does briefly discuss them), and I cannot help but marvel how we are truly living in the world he had set course for 200 years ago.

[Kes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did a great job at providing cultural context for Bowditch's time. It talks about the religious distinctions between churches and the cultural capital of each. It talks about the intermingling between the various Salem families - and the network of relations which meant that people could rely on them. This also came with its own societal expectations of being genteel.

I enjoyed how the book described the mingling of work and family (or what we would think of as personal and professional lives) - Bowditch's people thought nothing of working through the night, or moving out of their workplace for personal reasons. It's a far cry from today's attitude towards work (although, to some extent, it might be class differences).

This informality also extended to keeping accounts - another important factor in companies today. Most businesses were partnership, with informal (non-existent by modern standards) accounting systems. During Bowditch's time, there were several scandals related to the poor accounting methods - and Bowditch helped to standardise the accounting requirements (e.g. by introducing templates). Due dates for loans were also fluid - money could be paid after the due date, and Bowditch insisting on the regularity of payment was novel and controversial. It's interesting to see how times have changed since then.

The book is written clearly and is an easy read. Great book.

[Glen Brooksby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book. As a result it took me a long time to get through it. It adequately covers the life of Nathaniel Bowditch, but while he was very accomplished, it just wasn't interesting reading. I feel like I could have gathered the interesting, important details of his life from a Wikipedia article. One thing that I found really over-the-top was the incessant references to LaPlace. Translating LaPlace's work to English was a great accomplishment, but the author seems to think everything in Bowditch's life should be viewed through the lens of this single work. I'm pretty sure that the author invents LaPlace-based terms that no one uses outside of this book. Everything "LaPlacean science" or a "LaPlacean mechanism". I doubt Bowditch used these terms as much as this author, if at all. My advice would be, if you want to study LaPlace, study mathematics or read a biography of LaPlace. If you want to learn about Bowditch, read a Wikipedia article.

[Brian Hutzell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of Nathaniel Bowditch, as did many of us, through reading Jean Lee Latham’s Newbery medal winning children’s book, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. While that book–which I loved–emphasized Bowditch’s rags-to-riches via hard work and diligent study story, Tamara Plakins Thornton instead focuses on Bowditch’s professional life in academic and business circles. Though somewhat demythologized in this book, the portrait that emerges is still an inspiring one.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. It covers all aspects of Bowditch's life, especially his creation of modern business practices.


Saw review in SIAM News, July/August 2016.
http://umaryland.worldcat.org/oclc/91...

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Very well written. Thoroughly researched. Many interesting footnotes.