Who is Edward Alexander Bouchet

Edward Alexander Bouchet (1852-1918) graduated from Yale College in 1874. He went on to be the first African American to earn a doctorate from an American university when he earned a Ph.D. in physics at Yale University in 1876. At that time, Bouchet was the sixth person in the western hemisphere to earn a doctorate in physics. He was also one of the first African Americans to be elected to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

*Courtesy of Yale Bouchet Society

Mission Statement

The purpose of the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society (Bouchet Society) is to recognize outstanding scholarly achievement and promote diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate.

The Bouchet Society seeks to develop a network of preeminent scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster environments of support, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy.

In the spirit of Edward Alexander Bouchet and the character, leadership, advocacy, scholarship and service he exhibited both inside and outside academic realms, inductees into the honor society bearing his name should also exhibit these same outstanding qualities.