Francis Gibson Baily

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 ...

(1868–1945) was a British electrical engineer remembered for his research into

electromagnetism In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of a ...

. He was one of the first to suggest the use of water power to produce electricity and as such was the forefather of

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

. He emphasised the need to preserve natural beauty and also recognised the advantages of alternating current in generating schemes.

Life

He was born in

Paddington, London Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

on 18 March 1868 the son of Walter Baily and his wife, Mary Ann Gibson. He was educated at University College School in London and the School of Mines in

Clausthal Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains. Its population is approximately 15,000. The City is the location of the Clausthal University of Technology. The health resort ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and then won a place at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

to study Natural Science, graduating in 1889. He went to work in the new world of electricity, first at James Simpson & Co and then at

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...

in Germany (1890-1892). In 1892 he returned to Britain to lecture at University College, Liverpool and in 1896 became Professor of Electrical Engineering at Heriot Watt College in Edinburgh. In 1896 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 John Murray,

George Chrystal George Chrystal FRSE FRS (8 March 1851 – 3 November 1911) was a Scottish mathematician. He is primarily know for his books on algebra and his studies of seiches (wave patterns in large inland bodies of water) which earned him a Gold Meda ...

Alexander Crum Brown Alexander Crum Brown FRSE FRS (26 March 1838 – 28 October 1922) was a Scottish organic chemist. Alexander Crum Brown Road in Edinburgh's King's Buildings complex is named after him. Early life and education Crum Brown was born at 4 Belle ...

and Sir

Francis Grant Ogilvie Sir Francis Grant Ogilvie CB FRSE (8 August 1858 – 14 December 1930) was a Scottish educator, museum director, and scientist. Birth, parentage and early career Ogilvie was born in Monymusk, Aberdeenshire, the eldest son of the Reverend Al ...

. He served as Vice President of the Society from 1929 to 1932. In Edinburgh he lived at the newly built student residences at 11 Ramsay Gardens at the head of the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served as a Captain in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

and was responsible for developing ultrasensitive microphones used during tunnelling. He retired in 1933 and died in

Juniper Green Juniper Green is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated about south-west of the city centre. It bridges the city bypass, and extends along the foothills of the Pentlands. It is bordered by Colinton to the east, Baberton ...

, south-west of Edinburgh, on 23 February 1945.

Publications

*''Hysteresis of Iron and Steel in a Rotating Magnetic Field'' (1894) *''The Distribution of Energy in Towns'' (1895) *''Trees and Shrubs for Housing Schemes and Roads'' (1938) *''The Development of Highland Water Power'' (1941) *''Small Water Power Schemes'' (1945)

Family

In 1899 at

St Giles Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...

he married Margaret Naismith Osborne Pagan (1878-1967) an opera singer. They had one son and one daughter.

References

External links

* 1868 births 1945 deaths People from Paddington People educated at University College School Alumni of the University of Cambridge British electrical engineers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Engineers from London {{UK-engineer-stub