Edward Bouchet was the first African American to earn a PhD in the United States. He earned a PhD in physics from Yale in 1874. Bouchet spent his career teaching and administering at segregated African American schools, playing an important role in educating African Americans in the late 19th century. He taught physics and chemistry for 26 years at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia. Bouchet encountered racism and was unable to secure a position at a university, despite his credentials. He remains an important figure as the namesake of the Edward Bouchet Graduate Honor Society and Award, which recognize academic excellence and expanding access to higher education.

1. Black History Month: Famous
Scientists:
Edward A.
Bouchet
Cezar Suarez Per.7

2. Table of Contents
• Early Life and Schooling………………………………………………………………………3--6
• What He did……………………………………………………………….........................7--11
• Pictures of Edward Bouchet…………………………………………………………….12--15
• The Edward Bouchet Graduate Honor Society……………………………………….16
• The Edward A. Bouchet Award………………………………………………………………17
• Other Facts about Edward Bouchet…………………………………………………18--19
• Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………….20

3. Early life and Schooling
• Edward Alexander Bouchet was born on
September 15, 1852 in New Haven,
Connecticut and died on October 18,
1918.
• He attended a segregated primary school
in New Haven and finished his secondary
education at Hopkins Grammar School in
1870.

4. Early life and Schooling (continued (1)
• Bouchet entered graduate school at Yale
in 1870 and gained his doctorate in
physics in just two years.
• He was the valedictorian of his high
school class and graduated with highest
honors in 1974.

5. Early Life and Schooling (continued (2)
• While he was at Yale, Bouchet took very
challenging courses in French, German,
Greek, and Latin, although his main
interests were science and mathematics.
• He also took classes in mechanics,
physics, and astronomy and earned a GPA
of 3.36 only his first year there.

6. Early Life and Schooling (continued (3)
• Edward Bouchet’s parents were William
Francis Bouchet and Susan Cooley Bouchet.
• Bouchet’s father, William Francis, was
employed at Yale as a janitor and his mother,
Susan Cooley, did the laundry of the
students, which was most likely an important
factor that caused Edward to get accepted
into Yale.

7. What Edward Bouchet did
• Edward Bouchet was an African American
physicist who was also the first African
American to earn a Ph.D. from an
institution in the United States.
• Bouchet spent most of his career teaching
and administrating segregated African
American schools.

8. What Edward Bouchet did…
(continued (1)
• Bouchet was also the first African-
American to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
• He was also one of the first 20 Americans,
of any race, to receive a Ph.D. in physics
and was the sixth to receive a Ph.D. in
physics from Yale.

9. What Edward Bouchet did…
(continued (2)
• Bouchet played a very important role
in the education of African-Americans
during the last quarter of the 19th
century through his teaching and
mentoring activities at the Institute
for Colored Youth in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.

10. What Edward Bouchet did…
(continued (3)
• After graduating from Yale University,
Bouchet taught chemistry and physics
for twenty-six years at the Institute
for Colored Youth.
• Between 1905 and 1908, Bouchet was
director of academics at St. Paul’s
Normal and Industrial School in
Lawrenceville, Virginia.

11. What Edward Bouchet did…
(continued (4)
• From 1903-1904 he served as
business manager of the Provident
Hospital, St. Louis and U.S. Inspector
of Customs at the Louisiana Purchase
Expedition (1904-1905).
• Despite his degree Bouchet was not
able to find a position at any college,
university, or any research facility.

12. Pictures of Edward Bouchet

13. More Pictures/Symbols (1)

14. More Pictures/Symbols (2)

15. More Pictures/Symbols (3)

16. The Edward Alexander Bouchet
Graduate Honor Society
• The Edward Alexander Bouchet Society was
named after Edward Bouchet, which
“recognizes outstanding scholarly
achievement and promotes diversity and
excellence in doctoral education and the
professorate.”
• Yale University and Howard University are
the founding “chapters” of the Edward A.
Bouchet Graduate Honor Society in 2005.

17. The Edward A. Bouchet Award
• The Edward Bouchet Award is a national
award given to leaders in academia who
have played a significant role in expanding
higher education, who are outstanding in
their own fields of study, and who serve as
role models to students of all ages.
• The award was made at Yale in 2002 as
part of the University's yearlong celebration
of the 150th anniversary of Edward
Bouchet's birthday.

18. Other Facts About Edward Bouchet
• In 1998, Rosa L. DeLauro spoke in the House
of Representatives to honor a new burial
monument to commemorate the
achievements of Edward Bouchet.
• Edward Bouchet was also the business
manager for a hospital in St. Louis and
worked as a U.S. Customs Service inspector
for a short time.

19. Other Facts About Edward Bouchet
(Continued (1)
• Bouchet was just 66 years, 1 month, and 13 days
old when he died.
• He never married or had children.
• Bouchet returned to his home in New Haven,
where he was raised in and lived as a child, which
was also where he ended up dieing.
• He was forced to retire teaching in 1916 due to
serious illness.

20. Bibliography
• "Biography of Edward Bouchet." One Hundred Years Rackham Graduate
School. The Regents of the University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.
<www.rackham.umich.edu/student_life/diversity/community/bouchet/Bio
graphy/ >.
• Spangenburg, Ray, and Kit Moser. "Bouchet, Edward." African Americans in
Science, Math, and Invention, A to Z of African Americans. New York: Facts
On File, Inc., 2003. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc.
http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
ItemID=WE01&iPin=AASM0014&SingleRecord=True (accessed February
23, 2012).
• "Welcome to Yale University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences." Edward
A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/diversity.