James Finlay Weir Johnston, FRS FRSE (13 September 1796 – 18 September 1855) was a Scottish agricultural

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
/ref> and mineralogist.

Life

Born in Paisley,

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...

, Johnston was educated at

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 , ...

, where he studied Theology and graduated MA. Johnston founded a grammar school in Durham in 1825, which later merged with other local schools, such as

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

and Bowburn, to form a single comprehensive school for the area, named

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School Durham Johnston Comprehensive School is a secondary school in Durham, England. Introduction Durham Johnston is a 1700-place 11–18 school serving Durham City and communities beyond to the south and west. It is situated on Crossgate Moor, on ...

, preserving James Finlay Weir Johnston's name. He acquired a fortune at the time of his marriage in 1830, and was able to devote himself to studying chemistry. He visited the chemist J. J. Berzelius in Sweden and was a co-founder of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.David Knight, 'Johnston, James Finlay Weir (1796–1855)',

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 ...

, Oxford University Press, 2004 In 1832 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer being

Thomas Charles Hope Thomas Charles Hope (21 July 1766 – 13 June 1844) was a British physician, chemist and lecturer. He proved the existence of the element strontium, and gave his name to Hope's Experiment, which shows that water reaches its maximum density a ...

. He was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of London 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 ...

in 1837. He was appointed reader in Chemistry and Mineralogy at Durham University on its foundation in 1833, but continued to reside in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

out of term. From 1847, his assistant was

Augustus Voelcker John Christopher Augustus Voelcker FRS (24 September 1822 – 5 December 1884) was a Royal Agricultural Society of England chemist. Voelcker was known for his methodical and precise analytical practices as applied to agricultural chemistry. He b ...

who also lectured in agricultural chemistry at Durham University.John Christopher Augustus Voelcker
(1899) ''

'' In 1849 the Assembly of

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

contracted Johnston to survey and report on potential development. In his ''Notes on North America'', Johnston reported that the Provincial soils were more productive than those of New York or Ohio. Johnston died in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

on 18 September 1855. He is buried in the churchyard at St Bartholomew's church in Sunderland Bridge near

Croxdale Croxdale is a village in the civil parish of Croxdale and Hett, situated about south of Durham City, in County Durham , England and on the A167 road, formerly part of the Great North Road. It is on the route of the East Coast Main Line and at on ...

. Choosing to be buried in a country churchyard rather than in Durham City to avoid polluting drinking water drawn from local springs in the city as his body decayed.

Works

Johnston's works are available through

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

: * 1845
Catechism of Agricultural Chemistry and Geology
* 1851
Notes on North America: agricultural, economical and social, volume 1
* 1851
Notes on North America: agricultural, economical and social, volume 2
* 1855
Chemistry of Common Life, volume 1, first edition
* 1855
Chemistry of Common Life, volume 2, first edition

Family

In 1830 he married the daughter of Thomas Ridley of Durham.
at Canadian Dictionary of Biography

References

Johnston, James Finlay Wier
at

The Nuttall Encyclopedia ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, James Finlay Weir 1796 births 1855 deaths People from Paisley, Renfrewshire Academics of Durham University James Finlay Weir James Finlay Weir Alumni of the University of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal Society People associated with Edinburgh Scottish educational theorists