George Gerald Henderson (30 January 1862 – 28 September 1942) was a chemist and professor at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. He was known for his work on

terpene Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n > 1. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly conifers. Terpenes ar ...

Life

Henderson was born to a Glasgow merchant in 1862. He entered the University of Glasgow, aged 15 to study natural sciences. He graduated wit a BSc with distinction in 1881. Next he studied the arts and obtained a second degree. In 1884, he studied organic chemistry as a research assistant with

Johannes Wislicenus Johannes Wislicenus (24 June 1835 – 5 December 1902) was a German chemist, most famous for his work in early stereochemistry. Biography The son of the radical Protestant theologian Gustav Wislicenus, Johannes was born on 24 June 1835 in Kle ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

. In 1885, he was a research assistant with

James Johnston Dobbie Sir James Johnston Dobbie, FRS FRSE FIC FCS (4 August 1852 – 19 June 1924) was known for the isolation, chemical structure, and physical properties (especially UV and visible spectra) of alkaloids. He isolated hydroxycodeine from opium and syn ...

. He obtained an MA in Natural Science with first class honors in 1884, and a DSc in 1890 from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. In 1884, Henderson started as an assistant to professor John Ferguson at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. In 1889, he became a Lecturer on Chemistry at

Queen Margaret College (Glasgow) Queen Margaret College was a women-only higher education institution based in North Park House in Glasgow, Scotland. History The idea of a college arose as the result of English literature lectures for women that were suggested by Janet "Jessi ...

. In 1892, he became the Freeland Professor of Chemistry at

Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

, where he worked to develop the chemistry department into a world class institution. He became a Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow in 1919. During his tenure at University of Glasgow, he oversaw construction of new laboratories. In 1937, Henderson was awarded the Medal of the

Society of Chemical Industry The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Offices The society's headquarters is in Belgrave Square, London. There are semi-in ...

for "conspicuous service to applied chemistry". His research was influenced by

William Dittmar Professor William Dittmar FRS FRSE LLD (1833 – 1892) was a German-born scientist renowned as a chemical analyst. He was based largely in Scotland. He did much analytical work on the findings from the Challenger expedition. He was the first to ...

George Thomas Beilby Sir George Thomas Beilby (17 November 1850 – 1 August 1924) was a British chemist. Early life and education He was born in Edinburgh, the son of a doctor and educated at Edinburgh Academy and Edinburgh University. Career In 1869, he joined the ...

, and others. In 1895, he married his cousin Agnes Mackenzie Kerr. They had no children. She died of a heart attack in 1937. In his obituary, Henderson was described as:

"of full middle height, spare of form, with brown moustache which never altered its shape in obedience to the dictates of fashion. In fact, Henderson was one of the most unchangeable of men."

Notable students and trainees

* Ian (Isidore) Morris Heilbron (research assistant, 1907) * Alexander Robertson (graduate student, 1924, Studies on the

sabinene Sabinene is a natural bicyclic monoterpene with the molecular formula C10H16. It is isolated from the essential oils of a variety of plants including Marjoram, holm oak (''Quercus ilex'') and Norway spruce (''Picea abies''). It has a strained ...

series of

terpenes Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n > 1. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly conifers. Terpenes ar ...

) *

Alexander R. Todd Alexander Robertus Todd, Baron Todd (2 October 1907 – 10 January 1997) was a British people, British biochemist whose research on the structure and biosynthesis, synthesis of nucleotides, nucleosides, and nucleotide coenzymes gained him the N ...

(student) *

John Monteath Robertson John Monteath Robertson FRS FRSE PCS CBE LLD (1900–1989) was a 20th-century Scottish chemist and crystallographer. He was the recipient of the Davy Medal in 1960 and president of the Chemical Society from 1962 to 1964. Life He was bor ...

(graduate student, 1926, The structural relationships of certain members of the bicyclic sesquiterpene series)

Service and Affiliations

* President, Chemical Society (1931-1933) * President, the Institute of Chemistry (1924-1927) * President, the Society of Chemical Industry (1914-1915) * Secretary, Recorder, and President, Section B (Chemistry) of the British Association * Fellow, Royal Society (1916)

References

External links

Biography
from the University of Glasgow {{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, George Gerald 1862 births 1942 deaths Scottish chemists Scientists from Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow Academics of the University of Strathclyde Regius Professors Academics of the University of Glasgow