Moulton, Forest Ray

Moulton, Forest Ray

(1872–1952) astronomer; born in Le Roy, Mich. A professor at the University of Chicago (1898–1926), he proposed (with Thomas Chamberlin) a hypothesis—no longer accepted—explaining the origins of the solar system. As administrative secretary at the American Academy for the Advancement of Sciences (1937–48), he edited 25 symposium volumes. He authored nine books including Consider the Heavens (1935) and many articles.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.