Nathaniel Bowditch was an American mathematician who lived from 1773 to 1838. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation. His book The New American Practical Navigator, first published in 1802, is still carried on board every commissioned U.S. Naval vessel. Bowditch was election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society. His international was such that he was elected as a member of the Royal Societies of Edinburgh, and London, and the Royal Irish Academy. Bowditch lived in Salem and Boston Massachusetts.
