Garrett P. Serviss
1851 - 1929
Garrett P. Serviss (1851-1929) was born in upstate New York and attended Cornell. Taking a degree in science, he pursued a law degree from Columbia University. Serviss never practiced law, however, and turned his attention to journalism.
In 1876, he joined the staff of the New York Sun, and worked as a journalist until 1892 under the editorship of Charles Dana.
Serviss's skill in making scientific issues understandable was noted by Andrew Carnegie, who asked him to deliver the Urania Lectures n cosmology, astronomy, geology, and related matters. Serviss toured the U. S. giving magic lantern lectures for two years. He settled in the greater New York City area and became a well known popularizer of astronomy. He wrote a syndicated newpaper column on the sciences.
Serviss is also well known for his science fiction.