Biographical Index of former RSE Fellows 1783-2002 Part 1.

506 Pages·2006·1.58 MB·English

ormer ellows
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ISBN 0 902 198 84 X
Published July 2006
© The Royal Society of Edinburgh
22-26 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PQ
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF FORMER FELLOWS OF
THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 1783 – 2002
PART I
A-J
C D Waterston and A Macmillan Shearer
This is a print-out of the biographical index of over 4000 former Fellows of the Royal Society
of Edinburgh as held on the Society’s computer system in October 2005.
It lists former Fellows from the foundation of the Society in 1783 to October 2002. Most are
deceased Fellows up to and including the list given in the RSE Directory 2003 (Session 2002-3)
but some former Fellows who left the Society by resignation or were removed from the roll
are still living.
HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
Information on the Fellowship has been kept by the Society in many ways – unpublished
sources include Council and Committee Minutes, Card Indices, and correspondence;
published sources such as Transactions, Proceedings, Year Books, Billets, Candidates Lists, etc.
All have been examined by the compilers, who have found the Minutes, particularly
Committee Minutes, to be of variable quality, and it is to be regretted that the Society’s
holdings of published billets and candidates lists are incomplete.
The late Professor Neil Campbell prepared from these sources a loose-leaf list of some 1500
Ordinary Fellows elected during the Society’s first hundred years. He listed name and
forenames, title where applicable and national honours, profession or discipline, position
held, some information on membership of the other societies, dates of birth, election to the
Society and death or resignation from the Society and reference to a printed biography.
Professor Campbell was preparing a card index of Fellows elected in the second hundred
years but this remained incomplete. These works have formed a valuable starting point for
the present compilation.
Following a presentation by Professor John Laver through the Fellowship Committee
(25/05/2000), the establishment of a Corporate Memory Index (CMI) was recommended. The
Society then provided accommodation and computer facilities to the compilers to create the
electronic biographical index. The project has been serviced by the Fellowship Manager (Dr
Lesley Campbell) with technical support from the IT Support Manager (Ms Jennifer Cameron).
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
Professor Campbell’s information has been verified and corrected where necessary. Entries
have been added for Ordinary Fellows who died, resigned, or were removed within the period
but were not included by Campbell. Information on all Honorary Fellows who died within the
period has been added.
We have sought to provide information in a number of additional fields. These cover places
of birth, death and burial, parentage, marital status, family relationships to other Fellows,
education and training, qualifications and career, publications, war service, names of
proposers for election to the Society with notification dates, offices held within and awards
received from the Society.
THE FUTURE
The compilers are aware that much information is lacking from the present work. They also
know that any such composition cannot be free from error. The index is, however, an on-
going project. It is hoped that feed-back to the Society from readers will provide necessary
additions and corrections. We hope also that information on Fellows who have left the
Society after October 2003 will be added.
In any on-going project it is desirable to establish an audit trail of verifiable information.
Campbell’s index, together with this print-out, will be placed in the Society’s library for that
purpose.
SEARCHES
The obituaries of FRSEs in the publications of the Royal Societies of Edinburgh and London
have been consulted and the references given. The Dictionary of National Biography, as a
standard source, has been checked for FRSEs and references to all relevant entries given. All
volumes of Who Was Who have been checked for FRSEs
In so far as information has been readily available or known to us, the compilers have tried to
provide a meaningful biographical background for each Fellow. It has been beyond the scope
of the present work to be comprehensive in many fields and in too many cases we know little
more than the surname and date of election. We hope that readers may be able to fill these
lacunae. FRSEs in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography have not been searched since
publication occurred too late to be included in this work.
THE FIELDS
Full name Name and designation
Reference Unique reference number to file
Surname Entries are arranged alphabetically by surname. Those known
by a title other than their family name appear under the family
name e.g. Dukes of Buccleuch under Scott, and those who
have changed their names are listed under the last. In all cases
cross-references are given. Hyphenated names are listed under
the last name e.g. Harvie-Brown under Brown. Society lists etc.
of earlier years sometimes refer to a Fellow not by name but by
office held e.g. “Lord President”, “Lord Advocate”. The
compilers have given the names of these office-bearers as
appropriate.
Forenames Each surname is arranged alphabetically by first forename. For
hyphenated names the name or names preceding the hyphen
appear after the forenames e.g. under Brown, John Alexander
Harvie-.
Title and British Honours Exceptionally, a non-British title has been given in this field
where the individual is generally recognised by that title e.g.
Count Rumford.
Gender The first female Fellows were elected in 1949.
Fellowship Type The entry HF signifies Honorary Fellow; OF, Ordinary Fellow.
Profession An attempt has been made to use key words in this field to
facilitate retrieval in any specific search. Some Fellows,
particularly in the early years, did not pursue their interests
professionally, but many were agricultural improvers or had
other interests which we have tried to capture in this field.
Appointments held A summary curriculum vitae is given as space allows. The
activities of Fellows who have not been employed are indicated
where known, e.g. Landowner, Independent Means etc.
Date of birth day/month/year
Place of birth
Date of Election day/month/year
Incorporated as Member 36 gentlemen were incorporated to the Fellowship by virtue of
of the Edinburgh their membership of the Edinburgh Philosophical Society.
Philosophical
Society Yes/No
Proposers The surname and forenames or initials of each proposer are
given. Forenames and initials do not always appear on
proposal forms and where possible have been identified by the
compilers. Where it has not been possible to distinguish
between Fellows of the same name, the name on the proposal
document is given within inverted commas. The source of the
information is given after the names – NLS Acc 10,000 refers to
the Society’s collection of documents held on deposit by the
National Library of Scotland.
Date of Death day/month/year
Place of Death
Resigned/Removed The date is given as nearly as possible.
Notes Field used for free text. Where different sources give different
information, e.g. in dates of birth or death, the discrepancy is
noted here. Additional information in elaboration of a Fellow’s
achievement, e.g. inventions, are also noted here.
Marital Status The date(s) of marriage(s) are given with the names and
forenames of the spouses with heir dates of death. It has
proved difficult to determine the maiden name of brides,
especially so if the maiden name and married name are the
same. Readers should not assume that the name given is the
maiden name in all cases.
Family Given here are the names and dates of son(s) or daughter(s)
who have been or are Fellows of the Royal Society of
Edinburgh. No attempt has been made to record family
members who have not been elected Fellows.
Mother Forename, maiden name and dates of birth and death may be
recorded.
Father Forenames and surname, designation and title and dates of
birth and death may be recorded. An indication of the
profession is also given when known.
Siblings Given here are the names and dates of brothers and sisters
who have been or are Fellows of the Royal Society of
Edinburgh. No attempt has been made to record siblings who
have not been elected Fellows.
Other family The purpose of this entry is to supplement the relationships
relationships given in previous entries to illustrate the family networks that
existed in the Society. Relatives mentioned were all elected to
the Fellowship.
Schools and Tutors Primary and secondary schools with dates of attendance when
known are given.
Training Non-university training is given here, such as attendance at
service training establishments. Apprenticeships are also
recorded and include Engineering, Medical and Legal
apprenticeships.
Undergraduate studies Degrees of graduates with awarding universities and dates of
awards are recorded. It was common practice in former days
for students to take university classes of their choice without
graduating. Where it is known that such classes were taken
this is recorded.
Postgraduate studies Higher degrees of graduates with awarding universities and
dates of awards were recorded. Honorary degrees are similarly
recorded but where these are too numerous to list, a selection
is given.
Publications It is beyond the scope of the present work to attempt
bibliographies of Fellows. A selection of publications is given
to illustrate the scope of the work of any Fellow.
References The references cited are those used by the compilers in
providing information for the file and are by no means
exhaustive. Abbreviations (e.g DNB) are used for standard
references that are given in full in the bibliography which
follows. Others are given in full in this field.
War Service The service given by Fellows in the South African War and the
World Wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45 is noted here. The war
service of the many professional servicemen who were Fellows
is included in their “Appointments held” field.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, W. The Scottish Nation, 3 vols, Edinburgh 1860-3.
Anderson, W.P. Silences that Speak, Edinburgh 1931.
Chambers, R. Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen,
revised T Thomson Glasgow 5 vols. 1855.
DNB The Dictionary of National Biography 1885-and supplements.
Grant, A. Story of Edinburgh University During Its First Three Hundred
Years. London, 2 vols. 1884
Grant, F.J The Faculty of Advocates in Scotland 1532-1949. Scottish
Record Society, vol. 76, Edinburgh 1944.
Gillispie, C.C. ed. Dictionary of Scientific Biography 16 vols 1970-80,
New York.
Irving, J. Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen, Paisley 1881
Munk, W. Roll of the Royal College of Physicians of London. 3 vols 1878
Plarr, V.G. Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of
England. 2 vols 1930
Poggendorff, J.C. Biographisch-Literisches Handworterbuch zur Geschichte der
exakten Wissenschaften. Leipzig, 1863
Rogers, C. Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions in Scotland, London,
2 vols 1871-2
Shapin, S. Collected Biography of the Fellows of the Royal Society of
Edinburgh, 1783-1820, MS 1970.
Williams, T.I. Biographical Dictionary of Scientists, London 1969.

FORMER FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 1783-2002
KING EDWARD VII, ALBERT EDWARD. 09/11/1841-06/05/1910. Ref: 1555. Male.
Titles and British Honours: King of Great Britain, Ireland and British Dominions.
Place of Birth: Buckingham Palace, London.
Place of Death: Buckingham Palace, London.
Place of interment: St George's Chapel, Windsor.
Profession: Royal Personage.
Appointments Held: Monarch.
Mother: Queen Victoria 1819-1901.
Father: Prince Albert FRSE1819-1861.
References: Annual Register 1910 (2) 122; DNB 2nd Supplement 1,1912, 546-610.
Memberships: FRS (Royal Fellow 1863, Patron 1901).
Date of Election: 07/12/1863.
Proposers: Proposed by Council as Honorary Fellow (Council Minute 13/03/1863, 10/04/1863, 17/04/1863 NLS
Acc10,000/20).
Notes: Elected as The Prince of Wales.
Fellow Type: HF.
KING EDWARD VIII. 23/06/1894-28/05/1972. Ref: 2639. Male.
Titles and British Honours: King of Great Britain, Ireland and British Dominions, 1936. Duke of Windsor, 1937.
Profession: Royal Personage.
Appointments Held: Monarch later Governor of Barbadoes, West Indies.
Marital Status: Married Mrs Wallis Simpson.
Mother: Queen Mary.
Father: King George V.
Memberships: FRS (Royal Fellow 1919, Patron 1936).
Date of Election: 07/06/1920.
Proposers: Proposed by Council as Honorary British Fellow (Billet 7/6/1920).
Notes: Elected as HRH The Prince of Wales.
Fellow Type: HF.
ALBERT, HRH PRINCE, FRANCIS ALBERT AUGUSTUS CHARLES EMMANUEL. 26/08/1819-14/12/1861. Ref: 25. Male.
Titles and British Honours: Duke of Saxony and Prince of Saxe Coburg & Gotha, Prince Consort, KG, KT, KP, GCSI,
GCMG.
Place of Birth: Rosenau, near Coburg, Saxony, Germany.
Place of Death: Windsor Castle, Berkshire.
Profession: Royal Prince.
Appointments Held: Prince Consort of Great Britain.1857.
Marital Status: Married (1840) Queen Victoria 1819-1901.
Father: Ernest I, Duke of Saxe Coburg & Gotha.
References: Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 1963, lxxxvii.
Memberships: FRS (Royal Fellow 1840),MWS.
Date of Election: 29/08/1842.
Proposers: Proposed by Council as Honorary Fellow, (Council Minute 25/08/1842 NLS Acc10000/18).
Fellow Type: HF.
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FORMER FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 1783-2002
ABEL, JOHN JACOB. 19/05/1857-26/05/1938. Ref: 3032. Male.
Place of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Profession: Pharmacologist, Endocrinologist.
Appointments Held: Professor 1891-3, Materia Medica & Therapeutics, Michigan University, Ann Arbor; 1893-1932,
Pharmacology, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.
Undergraduate Studies: Ph B(Michigan 1883).
Postgraduate Studies: MD(Strassburg).
Marital Status: Married (1883) Mary Hinman.
References: Obituary Notices of Fellows of The Royal Society, 2, 577-81 signed H.H.Dale (portrait),582-5 catalogue of
publications; Proc Roy Soc Edinb, 58, 1937-38, 252-3.
Memberships: FRS (Foreign 1938).
Date of Election: 03/07/1933.
Proposers: Proposed by Council as Honorary Foreign Fellow (Billet 1/5, 3/7/1933).
Fellow Type: HF.
ABERCROMBIE, JOHN. 12/10/1780-14/11/1844. Ref: 2. Male.
Place of Birth: Aberdeen.
Place of Death: 19 York Place, Edinburgh.
Place of interment: St Cuthberts, Edinburgh.
Profession: Physician, Author.
Appointments Held: 1804-44 Physician in Edinburgh, Medical Officer 1805, Royal Public Dispensary, Senior Surgeon,
New Town Dispensary.
Schools and Tutors: Aberdeen Grammar School.
Undergraduate Studies: Marischal College (MA Aberdeen).
Postgraduate Studies: MD (Edinburgh 1803), MD (Hon Oxon 1835).
Publications: "Intellectual Powers" 1830, "Moral Feelings" 1833.
Father: Rev George Abercrombie, Minister of East Church, Aberdeen.
References: DNB, 1,1885, 36-7; Anderson 1, 2-3; S Devlin-Thorp Scotland's Cultural Heritage 1, 1981; W P Anderson,
83.
Memberships: FRCSE (1804), FRCPE (1823), Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edinburgh (President 1829), Royal Medical
Society (Hon 1830).
Date of Election: 07/02/1831.
Proposers: Thomas Charles Hope, 2/12/1830, (ms Proposal NLS Acc. 10,000/44).
Service to the RSE: Councillor 1832-5, Vice-President 1835-44.
Fellow Type: OF.
ABERCROMBY, LORD ABERCROMBY, ALEXANDER. 15/10/1745-17/11/1795. Ref: 3. Male.
Titles and British Honours: Hon.
Place of Birth: Clackmannanshire.
Profession: Advocate.
Appointments Held: Advocate 1766; Sheriff-Depute 1775-80 Clackmnannanshire; Advocate-Depute 1780-92; Lord of
Session 1792; Lord of Justiciary 1792-5.
Undergraduate Studies: Edinburgh University.
Marital Status: Unmarried.
Mother: Mary Dundas.
Father: George Abercromby of Tullibody 1705-1800.
Siblings: Brother of General Sir Ralph Abercromby, 1734-1801.
Other Family: Brother-in-law of Robert Bruce, Lord Kennet, FRSE 1718-85, James Edmonstone, FRSE d1793.
References: DNB, 1, 1885, 38-9; Trans Roy Soc Edinb, IV, Appendix 1-15, (15/2/1796); Anderson 1, 14; Shapin 1; S
Devlin-Thorp Scotland's Cultural Heritage 2, 1981,1; F.J.Grant, 1944.
Date of Election: 17/11/1783.
Proposers: Founder Member.
Fellow Type: OF.
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