Frank Horton
FRS (20 August 1878 – 31 October 1957)
was professor of physics at
Royal Holloway College
Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...
,
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...
from 1914 to 1946 and later Vice-Chancellor of
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...
during the years of World War II from 1939 to 1945.
Early life and education
He was the eldest son of A Horton of
Olton
Olton is an area/suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. In the 13th century, the Lords of the Manor moved their seat and formed a new settlement, at the junction of two major roads. It was ...
, Warwickshire, now part of the
West Midlands.
[HORTON, Frank, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 8 October 2012](_blank)
/ref> He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School (KES) is an independent day school for boys in the British public school tradition, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Founded by King Edward VI in 1552, it is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Bir ...
. He then attended Mason College, which became the University of Birmingham
, mottoeng = Through efforts to heights
, established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
in 1900. He obtained a BSc in 1899 and then an MSc in physics. He then attended St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...
and obtained an ScD in 1905.
Career
He was then a lecturer at the Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the School of Physical Sciences. The laboratory was opened in 1874 on the New Museums Site as a laboratory for experimental physics and is named ...
in Cambridge from 1905 to 1914 and had been appointed a fellow of St John's College in 1905. From 1914 to 1946 he was Professor and head of the physics department at Royal Holloway College (RHC) and had been awarded a DSc from London University. During his early years at RHC he did research on thermionic emissions and gaseous ions. Over this time he became increasingly involved in college administration. He moved the physics department from the main college building to a purpose-built building in 1926, later known as the Horton Laboratory, with the first floor housing botany. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of London from 1939 to 1945. Since 1993 the building has housed Social Policy and Social Science entirely and physics now occupies the Tolansky and Wilson Laboratories. On his retirement in 1946, his successor in physics was Samuel Tolansky appointed in 1947.
In addition to his role as Vice-Chancellor, he was Dean of the Faculty of Science of the University of London from 1930 to 1934 and Chairman of the Academic Council of the university from 1935 to 1939. Horton was not a member of the RHC committee regarding post-war policy of the college, in particular becoming coeducational, due to his position as the university's Vice-Chancellor. However, he acted as advisor and joined a later sub-committee to discuss revisions to the college constitution which would need to be part of a Private Bill in parliament. RHC later admitted male postgraduates in 1945 and male undergraduates in 1965.
Personal life
He married first in 1911, J M Vèra the only daughter of J E Fulton, a mechanical engineer of Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...
, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
and they had one daughter. He married second in 1939, Ann Catherine Davies a Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge.
The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millic ...
, the only daughter of Robert Davies of Cricklewood
Cricklewood is an area of London, England, which spans the boundaries of three London boroughs: Barnet to the east, Brent to the west and Camden to the south-east. The Crown pub, now the Clayton Crown Hotel, is a local landmark and lies north ...
and Llangybi, Ceredigion
Llangybi is a village and parish in the south of Ceredigion, Wales. It is located on the A485 between Tregaron to the north and Lampeter to the south, a mile and a half north of the village of Betws Bledrws, which is in the wider community. Sil ...
, Cardiganshire (now known as Ceredigion
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...
) in mid-Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
.
See also
* List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
Publications
* ''A History of the Cavendish Laboratory 1871–1910'' D R Campbell & F Horton 1911 (Marking 25 years of Sir J. J. Thomson's years of tenure of the Cavendish Professorship of Experimental Physics.)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Frank
1878 births
1957 deaths
Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham
Alumni of University of London Worldwide
Alumni of the University of London
Alumni of the University of Birmingham
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge
Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London
Fellows of the Royal Society
People from Olton