Prof Robert Burns Young

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FRSSA The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by Sir David Brewster in 1821 and dedicated ...

FGS (1874–1949) was a 20th-century Scottish geologist. He was Chairman of the Diamond Control Board in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. He was President of the Geological Society of South Africa in 1910 and 1926.

Life

He was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

in 1874, the son of Andrew Young and his wife, Llllas Burns. His older brother was

Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...

. Robert graduated MA from

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

in 1897. He then undertook a second Science degree at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...

specialising in

Geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

graduating BSc in 1903. Prior to graduation (1899-1901) he joined Sir John Murray and Frederick Pullar in their Bathymetric Survey of all Scottish lochs. In 1903 he succeeded his brother Andrew as lecturer in Geology at the South African College in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. He was created Professor in 1904 at

Witwatersrand University The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

. In 1904 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were Sir John Murray,

Thomas Nicol Johnston Thomas Nicol Johnston FRSE (1870–1923) was a Scottish physician and noted amateur zoologist. Life He was the son of Wilhelmina Storrie (1836–1903) and Thomas Johnston (1822–1899) of Corstorphine House in western Edinburgh. He studied me ...

John Horne John Horne PRSE FRS FRSE FEGS LLD (1 January 1848 – 30 May 1928) was a Scottish geologist. He served as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1915 to 1919. Life Horne was born on 1 January 1848, in Campsie, Stirlingshire, the ...

and

James Geikie James Murdoch Geikie PRSE FRS LLD (23 August 1839 – 1 March 1915) was a Scottish geologist. He was professor of geology at Edinburgh University from 1882 to 1914. Life Education He was born in Edinburgh, the son of James Stuart Geikie a ...

. He joined the South African Philosophical Society in 1905 and was a member at the point of its transformation into the

Royal Society of South Africa The Royal Society of South Africa is a learned society composed of eminent South African scientists and academics. The society was granted its royal charter by King Edward VII in 1908, nearly a century after Capetonians first began to conceive of ...

in 1908. He was made a Fellow in 1914. He retired in 1934. He died in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

on 21 April 1949.

Family

He was married to the violinist Janet F. Algie. They had no children.

Publications

*''The Life and Times of

George William Stow George William Stow (2 February 1822, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England – 17 March 1882, Heilbron, Orange Free State) was a South African geologist and ethnologist, a poet, historian, artist, cartographer, and writer. Biography Stow received ...

, South African Geologist''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Robert Burns 1874 births 1949 deaths People from Perth, Scotland Alumni of the University of Edinburgh College of Science and Engineering Scottish geologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society of South Africa Presidents of the Geological Society of South Africa