William Frederick King 1854-1916

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted June, 2009

Plaque Location

The City of Ottawa
In front of the Dominion Observatory
on Maple Drive south off Carling Avenue
mid-way between Preston Street and Parkdale Avenue

Coordinates: N 45 23.608 W 75 42.853

Plaque Text

Born in England, W.F. King was a superb mathematician who promoted the systematic study of astronomy, geodesy and geophysics in this country. Through his initiative, the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa, the Geodetic Survey of Canada and the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria were founded. He extended geodetic surveys to western and northern Canada and helped to delineate the Canada-United States boundary. The world longitude network across the Pacific Ocean was completed under his direction. He was President of the Royal Society of Canada in 1911. He died in Ottawa.

Related Ontario plaque
The International Boundary

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