Andrew Watt

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1869–1929) was a 19th/20th-century meteorologist who worked in and helped to develop the

Scottish Meteorological Society The Scottish Meteorological Society was founded in 1855 by David Milne-Home with private funding, particularly from wealthy landowners who wished to compile meteorological records in order to improve agriculture. The Society founded the observato ...

and the

Royal Meteorological Society The Royal Meteorological Society is a long-established institution that promotes academic and public engagement in weather and climate science. Fellows of the Society must possess relevant qualifications, but Associate Fellows can be lay enthus ...

Life

He was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1869. His family left Edinburgh in his youth and went to

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...

where he was educated at

Dumfries Academy Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

. He returned to Edinburgh to study mathematics at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

graduating in 1889. He moved to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

(partly on health grounds) where he obtained a post teaching mathematics at the Scots' College, Melbourne. In 1894 he returned to Britain and continued as a maths teacher until 1900 when he joined the staff of the Scottish Meteorological Society as assistant to Dr Alexander Buchan. In 1905 he replaced Miss Jessie Buchan as Secretary to the Society and in 1907 he replaced Dr Buchan as Director of the Society. The Society was based at 122 George Street in Edinburgh. In 1907 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were Sir Arthur Mitchell, Alexander Buchan, Robert Traill Omond and

Cargill Gilston Knott Cargill Gilston Knott FRS, FRSE LLD (30 June 1856 – 26 October 1922) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was a pioneer in seismological research. He spent his early career in Japan. He later became a Fellow of the Royal Society, ...

. He lived at 6 Woodburn Terrace in Edinburgh, a flat in the Morningside district. In 1920 the Society was amalgamated with the

. In 1925 he was based at 10 Rothesay Place.Scottish Forestry Journal 1925 He died on 9 January 1929 aged 59.

Family

He was married to Winifred Attwell (d.1927). He never recovered from her death. They had no children.

References

1869 births 1929 deaths Scientists from Edinburgh People educated at Dumfries Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish meteorologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh {{Scotland-scientist-stub