Starting in 1912, he taught analytical mechanics for over 20 years. German physicist
Wilhelm Röntgen discovered
x-rays in 1895, and his first research paper was published at the end of December. An Austrian newspaper reported the results a week later. After reading those reports, LeConte found
cathode-ray tubes that his late uncle
John LeConte had obtained for the university's physics lab. LeConte and his associates were able to construct an x-ray machine and produce images of a bullet lodged in the arm of a young boy within a week of the newspaper reports of Röntgen's discovery. LeConte also studied the materials problems of gas turbines, and built a
harmonic analyzer to study the performance of electric power transmission lines. He was a professor at U.C. Berkeley for his entire career that lasted 45 years. An avid photographer, he took many photos of the Sierra Nevada, including the
High Sierra and
Hetch Hetchy Valley before it was flooded by the
dam. A charter and lifelong member of the Sierra Club, he held several positions of leadership in it. After
John Muir died, he served as the club's second president (1915–1917). He was instrumental in helping create the
John Muir Trail through the
High Sierra as a tribute to his predecessor. He sat on the Sierra Club Board of Directors from 1898 through 1940, and at various times was vice president, secretary, treasurer, and outings chair. In 1901 he married Helen Gompertz, whom he met in the Sierra Club. LeConte Point in Hetch Hetchy Valley and Le Conte Avenue at the southern border of
UCLA in Westwood Village, Los Angeles are named after him. == References ==