We Knew You When:

Maria Mitchell had the distinction of being the first professional woman to work for the federal government, when she was hired by the Coast Survey in 1845 to do astronomical observations. It was not her only achievement, nor her only first. Mitchell was the first American to discover a comet (in 1847) and was the first female member of several science organizations. She was a supporter of progressive social issues, as an abolitionist leading up to the Civil War, a supporter of women’s suffrage, and a lifelong advocate for higher education for women. Numerous posthumous honors recognize her professional achievements, which began, we’re proud to say, with her work for NOAA’s Coast Survey.

James McNeill Whistler is now one of the most admired American artists, but it took him a while to find his career path. He left West Point United States Military Academy before completing his education there and ended up working for the Coast Survey in 1854/5 as a draftsman producing drawings and etching copper printing plates with which nautical charts were made. Whistler was ultimately too restless to continue working for the Coast Survey, and left after about a year. But he took with him his newfound etching skills and his experience sketching sea scenes, which would be a theme he returned to over and over.

Born into slavery, Carver’s intelligence and interest in agriculture were both apparent by his early childhood. Triumphing above the racial barriers of the time, he joined the faculty of the Tuskegee Institute as its director of agricultural studies. His agricultural expertise and innovation led to his appointment as a collaborator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Less well known is Carver’s additional governmental affiliation, serving as a volunteer observer for the National Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service). He was perhaps the first African American to record weather observations for the bureau, which he did at the Tuskegee Institute from 1899 to 1932. His last report, from January 1932, reflects his lifelong devotion to agriculture and the well-being of those who engaged in it, when he comments: “The month has been too wet for very active farm and garden operations.”

Rachel Carson’s personal and professional lives were closely entwined, as her writing during and after her career with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries (now the National Marine Fisheries Service) and then the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reflected her knowledge of and passion for the environment. Hired as a science writer, Carson eventually rose to become the editor in chief of the entire service. While working for the government, she wrote the first two books of her sea trilogy: “Under the Sea-Wind” in 1941 and “The Sea Around Us” in 1951. The last one, “The Edge of the Sea,” was published in 1955, a few years after she left the government to focus on her writing. Carson spent four years working on her seminal “Silent Spring” before it was published in 1962, dying two years later of cancer. The house where she wrote “Silent Spring” and lived the last years of her life is in Silver Spring, Maryland, not far from NOAA’s headquarters today.

The Lavender Scare, from the late 1940s to the 1960s, was an effort by the government to fire gay and lesbian federal employees. Thousands of employees were unjustly fired or forced to resign, losing their income, their career potential, their dignity, even their lives as at least a few committed suicide. Frank Kameny, an astronomer for the U.S. Army Map Service, was fired in 1957. When his appeal of his dismissal failed at the Supreme Court, he took his fight into society, working with fellow activists to spearhead demonstrations and file legal cases. In 1975, civil services regulations were passed to make it illegal to use someone’s sexual orientation in hiring or firing processes. While he did not have a long federal career, Kameny instead helped change how society views LGBTQ+ individuals and made sure that no one is removed from a promising career simply because of who they love.