John Winthrop

1714-1779

American astronomer remembered for his work at Harvard during his tenure as the second Hollis professor of mathematics and natural philosophy (1738-79), including establishing America's first experimental physics laboratory and introducing calculus into the mathematics curriculum.

His extensive astronomical observations include various Mercury transits and the Venus transits of 1761 and 1769, which contributed to international efforts to determine the astronomical unit. Winthrop was made a fellow of the Royal Society in 1766.