Feb 25

Feb 25 The Man Who Died To Give America The Metric System - Joseph Dombey

Joseph Dombey was a French botanist who was supposed to bring the metric system to the United States...but then the PIRATES showed up!

Dombey is not an American Founder, but his sad demise led to a bit of confusion within the Washington Administration that is worth reviewing.

Joseph Dombey

Joseph Dombey was a French physician who became botanist of the Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants) in Paris just as the United States was declaring independence.

In this position, Dombey became the leading authority on all things vegetation related in France.

Because of his knowledge, he was recruited to go on a special research assignment in South America.

Botanical Expedition to the Viceroyalty of Peru

Joseph was asked to join a Spanish adventure known as the Botanical Expedition to the Viceroyalty of Peru.

This group studied thousands of plant species in South America but when Dombey sent his collection back to France the ship was captured.

His findings were put on display at the British Museum, where they remain to this day.

Chile

In 1782, after five years in Peru, Dombey went to Chile.

While he was there a cholera epidemic began and (despite being a Frenchman) Joseph was selected to take control of the situation.

He successfully helped guide the city of Concepcion through the sickness.

Home For Revolution

When Joseph finally returned to France, the Spanish hijacked much of his remaining collection. Luckily, when he agreed not to publish his research until after his Spanish counterparts, he was released.

Dombey returned home just as the French Revolution broke out.

Fortunately, the National Assembly respected his mind and sent him on a special mission...bring the metric system to America.

Meter and Grave

The French Revolution really wanted to overthrow everything about the old system, and this included measurement.

When they came up with the metric system, they wanted their old friends in America to come along with them (this was just after the Constitution was ratified, giving the Federal Government the ability to determine weights and measures).

Dombey was sent back across the ocean with a meter and grave. The meter was a copper bar that was (obviously) a meter long. The grave was a weight whose name would soon be changed to gram.

Unfortunately, Joseph’s ship was captured by pirates and taken to the Caribbean. His treatment was so harsh that he passed away in captivity.

His Luggage

Although this is the end of Dombey’s story, the meter and grave still had some traveling to do.

The pirates (or corsairs as they were called at the time) noticed that his luggage was addressed to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and decided not to open it.

When the goods arrived in New York City, Edmund Randolph had already taken the job from Jefferson.

After some back and forth, Randolph finally accepted the packages but apparently had no idea what to do with the meter and grave.

Somehow the decision was made to give these items to Andrew Ellicott, the preeminent surveyor at the time.

The meter and grave stayed in his family's possession for over 150 years before being donated to a museum.

Here is another article I wrote about relations with France about this time:

The French Mourn Franklin and Hilarity Ensues

Here is an interesting letter Jefferson wrote about the meter and grave (and his lasting desire to acquire them).

For some reason I cannot find a single book about the development of the meter, but there is the movie ‘In Pursuit of the Standard Meter.’

Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).