John Farrar (scientist)

John Farrar
Born(1779-07-01)July 1, 1779
DiedMay 8, 1853(1853-05-08) (aged 73)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materPhillips Academy, Andover
Harvard University
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics, philosophy
InstitutionsHarvard College

John Farrar (July 1, 1779 – May 8, 1853) was an American scholar. He first coined the concept of hurricanes as “a moving vortex and not the rushing forward of a great body of the atmosphere”, after the Great September Gale of 1815. Farrar remained Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Harvard University between 1807 and 1836. During this time, he introduced modern mathematics into the curriculum. He was also a regular contributor to the scientific journals.