Sir Frank Hartley (5 January 1911 – 26 January 1997) was a
pharmacist
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
who became
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
of the
School of Pharmacy, University of London
The UCL School of Pharmacy (formerly The School of Pharmacy, University of London) is the pharmacy school of University College London (UCL). The School forms part of UCL's Faculty of Life Sciences and is located in London, United Kingdom.
The ...
(1962–76) and later
Vice-Chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...
of the university from 1976–78.
[Obituary: ''The Independent'', 19 February 1997, accessed 13 April 2013](_blank)
/ref>
Early life and education
He was born in Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, England, the son of Robinson King Hartley, a plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, and for sewage and drainage in plumbing systems. , and his wife, Mary, née Holt. His father died when he was five. He attended Nelson Municipal Secondary School until 1926 and then wanted to be a teacher.[MP Earles: ''Hartley, Sir Frank (1911–1997)'', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 13 April 2013](_blank)
/ref> However, as he was deaf in one ear he was refused a bursary and instead did a three-year apprenticeship at a Nelson pharmacy
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
. After completing his apprenticeship he competed for, and won, a Jacob Bell scholarship to study for the diploma of pharmaceutical chemistry at the School of Pharmacy
The basic requirement for pharmacists to be considered for registration is often an undergraduate or postgraduate pharmacy degree from a recognized university. In many countries, this involves a four- or five-year course to attain a bachelor of ...
in London (now part of University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
), qualifying in 1932, under Prof Wilfred Herbert Linnell.[''Linnell, Prof. Wilfred Herbert'': Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012; online edn, Nov 2012, accessed 13 April 2013](_blank)
/ref>[''Lives of the Fellows'' - Royal College of Physicians, accessed 14 April 2013](_blank)
/ref> He then worked there as demonstrator and studied for a degree in chemistry at Birkbeck College
Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public university, public research university, located in Bloomsbury, London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the federal Universit ...
, University of London, graduating in 1936 with first-class honours.
Career
He initially taught at the School of Pharmacy whilst working for a PhD which he obtained in 1941. He then became chief chemist of the British laboratories of Organon
The ''Organon'' ( grc, Ὄργανον, meaning "instrument, tool, organ") is the standard collection of Aristotle's six works on logical analysis and dialectic. The name ''Organon'' was given by Aristotle's followers, the Peripatetics.
The si ...
, a company involved with steroid
A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...
s. From 1943 he was involved with maximizing penicillin
Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...
production and also research. In 1946 he became director of research and scientific services at British Drug Houses (later merged with Merck KGaA
The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and present in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the ma ...
) involving vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is required by animals, which use it as a cofactor in DNA synthesis, in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. It ...
and contraceptive steroids. In 1974 he became vice-chairman of the Medicines Commission The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) is a committee of the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. It was formed in October 2005, and assumed the responsibilities of the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Med ...
and also served on various other committees.
In 1962 he became Dean of the School of Pharmacy, which had then become a school of the University of London. In 1965 he became President of the Royal Institute of Chemistry The Royal Institute of Chemistry was a British scientific organisation. Founded in 1877 as the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland (ICGBI), its role was to focus on qualifications and the professional status of chemists, and its aim ...
. He also took an active role in university affairs becoming Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 1973, and Vice-Chancellor in 1976. He was the first pharmacist to be an honorary member of the Royal Society of Physicians in 1979 and Royal College of Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...
in 1980.
Personal life
On 22 December 1937 he married Lydia May England (1909/10–1996), daughter of Mark England, a carpenter, of Hadleigh, Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. They had two sons; Peter became a canon of the Church of England and his son Frank Robinson Hartley
Frank Robinson Hartley Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, FRSC FRAeS (born 29 January 1942)
is a former vice-chancellor of Cranfield University (previously the Cranfield Institute of Technology) from 1989 to 2006.
Early life and career
...
was Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University
, mottoeng = After clouds light
, established = 1946 - College of Aeronautics 1969 - Cranfield Institute of Technology (gained university status by royal charter) 1993 - Cranfield University (adopted current name)
, type = Public research uni ...
from 1989-2006.
He was appointed CBE in 1970 and was knighted for services to pharmacy in 1977. He died at Easenhall
Easenhall is a small village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, three miles north-west of the town of Rugby and a mile south of the M6 motorway. According to the 2011 Census the parish had a population of 291, reducing to 255 at the 202 ...
, near Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. In the 2021 census its population was 78,125, making it the second-largest town in Warwickshire. It is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby whi ...
.
See also
* List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Frank
1911 births
1997 deaths
Alumni of the University of London
English pharmacists
Knights Bachelor
Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London
People from Nelson, Lancashire