Hilgard

[E. A. Smith, in Bull. Geol. Soc. of America vol.
XXVIII (1917); G. P. Merrill, Contributions to a
Hist, of State Geol. and Nat. Hist. Surveys (1920) ;
In Memoriam: Eugene^ Woldemar Hilgard (1916),
repr. from Univ. of Calif. Chronicle, Apr. 1916; Fred
Slate, in Nat. Acad. Sci. Biog. Memoirs, vol. IX (1920) ;
Science, Mar. 31, 1916; N. Y. Times, Los Angeles
Times, Jan. 9, 1916; Hilgardia (pub. by the Agric. Exp.
Station at Berkeley), May 1925.] G P M

HILGARD, JULIUS ERASMUS (Jan. 7,
i825-May 8, 1891), geodesist, born at Zwei-
briicken, Bavaria, was a brother of Eugene
Woldemar Hilgard [q.v.] and the son of Theo-
dor Erasmus Hilgard [q.v.~\ and Margaretha
(Pauli) Hilgard. His father emigrated to the
United States in 1836 and sought his ideal of so-
cial and political freedom on a farm at Belleville,
111. A man of unusual talents and training, he
successfully undertook the education of his nine
children, instructing them in languages and phi-
losophy, but soon yielding the teacher's place in
the exact sciences to young Julius, who displayed
a remarkable aptitude for mathematics. At the
age of eighteen years, young Hilgard went to
Philadelphia to study civil engineering, and
there came under the observation of Alexander
Dallas Bache [#.#.], superintendent of the
United States Coast Survey, who found evidence
of his promising development. Offered a posi-
tion on the Survey in a beginner's capacity and
at small pay, he accepted it gladly with the char-
acteristic comment, "I would rather do high
work at low pay than low work at high pay"
(Hilgard, post, p. 330).

For forty years, except for a brief interval in
1860-62, when he was in business at Paterson,
N. J., the Survey was the sphere of Hilgard's
studious endeavors. His exceptional abilities
early advanced him to a position in which he
could impress his character upon the operations;
and, for some twenty years before he himself be-
came superintendent, he was in a controlling, po-
sition in conducting its destinies. His profes-
sional mind was eminently practical, and greatly
assisted in the attainment of the high standard
of execution which has been reached by the Coast
Survey. While directing large interests on the
broadest plans, he grasped and gave attention to
minute and varied details in perfecting methods
for applying theory to practice. At the interna-
tional convention held in Paris in 1872 for the
purpose of forming the International Bureau of
Weights and Measures, he was the delegate of
the United States. At the Centennial Exposi-
tion in 1876, he acted, in association with the
ablest scientists of the world, as one of the judges
on scientific apparatus. He took an active part,
as director of the Office of Weights and Mea-
sures, in shaping legislation relating to the intro-

Hilgard
duction of the metric system, and prepared the
metric standards which were distributed to the
several states of the Union. His publications,
which include lectures and addresses marked by
lucidity of expression, consist chiefly of re-
searches relating to geodesy and geophysics
printed in the annual reports of the Coast and
Geodetic Survey. He was a charter member of
the National Academy of Sciences and was pres-
ident, in 1875, of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science. In 1881 he was
appointed superintendent of the Survey, but to-
ward 1885 his superintendency began to be as-
sailed with accusations of maladministration.
These charges were not justified by the ensuing
official investigation of the Survey, which left
Hilgard's integrity untarnished and his scien-
tific standing undiminished, nevertheless they
decided him to resign his office in 1885. He died
at his home in Washington, D. C., on May 8,
1891, of Bright's disease, after several years of
painful illness.
In August 1848, at the age of twenty-three,
Hilgard was married to Katherine Clements of
Washington, D. C. Four children were born to
them; but none survived their father.
[E. W. Hilgard, in Nat. Acad. Sci. Biog. Memoirs,
vol. Ill (1895); O. H. Tittman, in Bull. Phil. Soc. of
Washington, vol. XII (1892-94) ; Annual Reports of
the Coast Survey; "President Cleveland's First Annual
Message to Congress," House Ex. Doc. No. it 49 Cong.,
i Sess.; Centennial Celebration of the U. S. Coast and
Geodetic Survey (1916) ; N. Y. Herald, Evening Star
(Washington), May 9, 1891.] G. W.L.
HILGARD, THEODOR ERASMUS (July
7, i79o-Jan. 29, 1873), lawyer, horticulturist,
writer, was born in Marnheim, Rhenish Palati-
nate, Bavaria, the son of Jakob and Maria Doro-
thea (Engelmann) Hilgard. His father and
his mother's father were Protestant ministers.
Thwarted in his ambition to become an engineer
by his near-sightedness, the young man turned
to law and studied at the universities of Gottingen
and Heidelberg, also at Coblenz and Paris. At
the age of twenty-two he was an advocate at the
superior court of Trier, soon afterwards he re-
moved to the seat of the court of appeals at
Zweibriicken. There he established a large law
practice, was a member of the Landrat of the
Rhenish district, and for twelve years beginning
in 1824 was a justice of the court of appeals. He
edited the Annalen der Rechtspflege in Bayern,
often presided at the assizes, and was considered
one of the foremost lawyers of his state. In 1835
he resigned, owing to his dissatisfaction with
certain reactionary and bureaucratic measures
which were instituted by the Bavarian govern-
ment in the administration of justice in the Pa-
latinate. Hilgard felt a romantic love for coun-