Herbert McLeod,
FRS (February 1841October 1923) was a English chemist, noted for the invention of the
McLeod gauge and for the invention of a
sunshine recorder
A sunshine recorder is a device that records the amount of sunshine at a given location or region at any time. The results provide information about the weather and climate as well as the temperature of a geographical area. This information is u ...
.
Biography
McLeod was born in
Stoke Newington on 9 Feb 1841 and died 3 October 1923,
while other biographies state that he was born in Stoke Newington on 19 February 1841 and died 1 October 1923,
a further alternative biography states that he was born 19 February 1842 in the adjacent area of
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the ...
, North
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, and died in
Richmond, Surrey
Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Comm ...
on 1 October 1923.
['']Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', accessed 14 January 2011
McLeod was educated at
Stockwell Grammar School. In 1855 he started studying chemistry in London with
George Frederick Ansell. In 1856 he joined the
Royal College of Chemistry
The Royal College of Chemistry: the laboratories. Lithograph
The Royal College of Chemistry (RCC) was a college originally based on Oxford Street in central London, England. It operated between 1845 and 1872.
The original building was designed ...
, London. He worked as lecture assistant of
August Wilhelm von Hofmann
August Wilhelm von Hofmann (8 April 18185 May 1892) was a German chemist who made considerable contributions to organic chemistry. His research on aniline helped lay the basis of the aniline-dye industry, and his research on coal tar laid the g ...
from 1860 on. When Hofman received a call to the
University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...
he joined him, but came back after a short time to the Royal College of Chemistry. McLeod became assistant of
Edward Frankland
Sir Edward Frankland, (18 January 18259 August 1899) was an English chemist. He was one of the originators of organometallic chemistry and introduced the concept of combining power or valence. An expert in water quality and analysis, he was ...
. He largely stayed at the college until 1871. McLeod was appointed professor at the
Royal Indian Engineering College
The Royal Indian Engineering College (or RIEC) was a British college of Civil Engineering run by the India Office to train civil engineers for service in the Indian Public Works Department. It was located on the Cooper's Hill estate, near Egham, ...
, where he stayed till his retirement in 1901. McLeod helped
Lord Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...
, later Prime Minister, with some experiments in the 1860s
[
During his time at the Indian Engineering College he worked on various subjects including meteorology, physics and chemistry. In 1874 he published a paper with a new and innovative vacuum gauge, this is known as the McLeod gauge.][
He married Amelia Woodley, with whom he had 3 sons and 2 daughters.][
He was a ]Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of the Chemical Society
The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation.
...
, and of the Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, and active in the British Association for the Advancement of Science.[ As a devout Christian, he tried to reconcile science with scripture.][
]
Further reading
*
References
External links
*
Chemistry World Sept 2011
McLeod's Vacuum Gauge. (includes picture of Herbert McLeod)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, Herbert
1841 births
1923 deaths
English chemists
Fellows of the Royal Society
People from Stoke Newington