Sir James Swinburne, 9th Baronet, FRS (28 February 1858 – 30 March 1958) was a British electrical engineer and manufacturer. He was born in Inverness in 1858 into a well-known Northumbrian family. Educated at

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , head ...

, he went to work at a locomotive works in Manchester and later to a Tyneside firm where he became interested in electrical work. Often called the "Father of British Plastics", Swinburne revolutionized the

plastics industry The plastics industry manufactures polymer materials—commonly called plastics—and offers services in plastics important to a range of industries, including packaging, building and construction, electronics, aerospace, and transportation. It is ...

throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and his native

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. Swinburne was a prominent engineer in the electrical industry. He worked on the first electric

lightbulb An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the so ...

and coined many new electrical words. Swinburne was a member of the

Institution of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Te ...

(IEE) for a record-breaking 73 years, serving as president from 1902 to 1903. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1906. He soon joined the

Faraday Society The Faraday Society was a British society for the study of physical chemistry, founded in 1903 and named in honour of Michael Faraday. In 1980, it merged with several similar organisations, including the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chem ...

, serving as its president from 1909 to 1911. He briefly explored

thermodynamics Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of the ...

. His involvement with plastic began with his introduction to

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it req ...

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section F ...

. Swinburne was so impressed with the possibilities of the product that he formed a company called Fireproof Celluloid Syndicate Limited, which was dedicated to research and marketing of the product. Swinburne and

Leo Baekeland Leo Hendrik Baekeland (November 14, 1863 – February 23, 1944) was a Belgian chemist. He is best known for the inventions of Velox photographic paper in 1893, and Bakelite in 1907. He has been called "The Father of the Plastics Industry" ...

later founded the Damard Lacquer Company, which eventually became

Bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...

Limited, which Swinburne served as chairman and, in 1948, as honorary president. In 1934, Swinburne succeeded his kinsman as 9th Baronet of Capheaton, Northumberland. Sir James Swinburne died a month after his 100th birthday.

Family

Swinburne had four children, two from his first marriage and two from his second; *Anthony Swinburne, born 1887 * Spearman Charles Swinburne, born 1893 *

Ida Swinburne Ida Swinburne was a British documentary film producer and Liberal Party politician. Background Ida Swinburne was born in Paddington, London, the eldest daughter of Sir James Swinburne, 9th Baronet, F.R.S., of Inverness-shire and Lilian Gilchri ...

, born 1899 *Marjorie Swinburne, born 1904

Writings

Swinburne authored a number of books, including: * ''Practical electrical units popularly explained : with numerous illustrations and remarks'' (London: E. & F.N. Spon, 1883). * ''Entropy; or, Thermodynamics from an engineer's standpoint, and the reversibility of thermodynamics'' (Westminster: Constable, 1904).

References

External links

Swinburne biography at IEE website

* 1858 births 1958 deaths People educated at Clifton College English centenarians Men centenarians English electrical engineers Fellows of the Royal Society Baronets in the Baronetage of England {{England-engineer-stub

Family

Writings

References

Further reading

External links