Espy, James

Espy, James (Pollard)

(1785–1860) meteorologist; born in Westmoreland County, Pa. He was the first to correctly describe how clouds form and the first to use the telegraph to send weather reports to the U.S. War and Navy Departments (1843–45). He wrote Philosophy of Storms (1841) and was dubbed "the storm king." His storm-making fire experiments produced the requisite "rarefied air," but no storms.