{{Short description|American astronomer}} '''Richard Tousey''' (May 18, 1908 &ndash; April 15, 1997) was an American astronomer.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Brueckner, Guenter|author-link=Guenter Brueckner|title=Obituary: Richard Tousey|journal=Physics Today|date=September 1997|volume=50|issue=9|pages=98|url=http://www.physicstoday.org/resource/1/phtoad/v50/i9/p98_s1?bypassSSO=1|doi=10.1063/1.881895|bibcode=1997PhT....50i..98B|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012010848/http://www.physicstoday.org/resource/1/phtoad/v50/i9/p98_s1?bypassSSO=1|archive-date=2013-10-12|doi-access=free}}</ref> He was a pioneer in the observation of the sun from space and took the first photographs of the sun's ultraviolet spectrum.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/21/us/richard-tousey-88-solar-physicist.html|title=Richard Tousey, 88; Solar Physicist|date=21 April 1997|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Richard Tousey was born on May 18, 1908, in Somerville, Massachusetts, to Coleman and Adella Hill Tousey.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/tousey-richard.pdf|title=Richard Tousey 1908 – 1997: A Biographical Memoir|last=Baum|first=William A.|publisher=National Academy Press|year=2002|location=Washington, DC}}</ref> He received a bachelor's degree from Tufts University (1928), then MA (1929) and Ph.D.(1933) in physics from Harvard University. His dissertation related to measuring optical properties of fluorite at 1216 angstroms was completed under Theodore Lyman.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://aas.org/obituaries/richard-tousey-1908-1997|title=Richard Tousey (1908 - 1997) {{!}} American Astronomical Society|website=aas.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819220702/https://aas.org/obituaries/richard-tousey-1908-1997|language=en|access-date=2017-07-24|archive-date=2019-08-19}}</ref>

Tousey taught and conducted research at Harvard from 1933 to 1936, then Tufts until 1941. Upon invitation by E.O. Hulburt, Tousey joined the Naval Research Laboratory where his initial work focused on night vision. Using captured V-2 rockets made available for research at White Sands Missile Range, he was able to measure the first ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of the sun.<ref name=":1" />

He married Ruth Lowe in 1932 and together they had one daughter, Joanna. The family shared an interest in music and collected musical instruments.<ref name=":0" /> They also collected and researched antique silverware and its makers. Richard was a member of the American Silver Guild.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard Tousey Papers |url=http://findingaid.winterthur.org/html/HTML_Finding_Aids/ARC17.htm |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=Winterthur Library}}</ref>

Tousey died of pneumonia on April 15, 1997, at Prince Georges Hospital Center in Maryland.<ref name="nyt" />

== Honors == * Fellow of The Optical Society (1959)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard Tousey {{!}} Optica |url=https://www.optica.org/History/Biographies/bios/Richard_Tousey |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=www.optica.org}}</ref> * Frederic Ives Medal (1960)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.osa.org/en-us/awards_and_grants/awards/award_description/ivesquinn/|title=Frederic Ives Medal / Quinn Prize|website=The Optical Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316150722/http://www.osa.org/en-us/awards_and_grants/awards/award_description/ivesquinn/|archive-date=2017-03-16|access-date=2017-07-24}}</ref> * Honorary Doctor of Science from Tufts (1961)<ref name=":1" /> * Henry Draper Medal (1963)<ref name="Draper">{{cite web|title=Henry Draper Medal |url=http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/awards/henry-draper-medal.html |publisher=National Academy of Sciences |access-date=24 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126003930/http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/awards/henry-draper-medal.html |archive-date=January 26, 2013 }}</ref> * Eddington Medal (1964)<ref name=":1" /> * Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (1966)<ref name=":1" />

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/biomems/rtousey.html National Academy of Sciences biography]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tousey, Richard}} Category:1908 births Category:1997 deaths Category:American astronomers Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Tufts University alumni Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society Category:People from Somerville, Massachusetts Category:20th-century American people