Robert Hutton (1876 – 5 August 1970) was an

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metallurgist and Goldsmiths’ Professor in Metallurgy at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

from 1931 to 1942 and known for his work with the

Society for the Protection of Science and Learning The Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) is a charitable British organisation dedicated to assisting academics in immediate danger, those forced into exile, and many who choose to remain in their home countries despite the serious risks they face ...

in assisting academics to flee the

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regime in

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.Obituary of Dr R. S. Hutton, ''The Times'', 7 August 1970 (pg. 8; Issue 57938; col E)

Early life

Robert Salmon Hutton was the son of J.B Hutton, a member of an old, well-known firm of silver table-ware manufacturers in Sheffield. Hutton spent his early life in London apart from the time he was at

Blundell's School Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in the English public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon. It was founded in 1604 under the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the tim ...

in Tiverton. From school he went to

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Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, followed by two years at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

and one in Paris.

Career

Hutton was appointed lecturer in electro-metallurgy at

Manchester University , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

in 1900, but in 1908 moved to

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

where he entered the family business. In 1921 he was invited to become director of the

British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association The British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association was a research group in the United Kingdom during the 20th century, bringing together public and privately funded research into metallurgy. The name was abbreviated officially to B.N.F.M.R.A. (th ...

. The Association expanded and achieved a world-wide reputation under his guidance. He was one of the original members of the

Institute of Metals The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a UK engineering institution whose activities encompass the whole materials cycle, from exploration and extraction, through characterisation, processing, forming, finishing and applicatio ...

and a member of Council from 1909 to 1935. Hutton became the first Goldsmiths’ Professor in Metallurgy at

in 1931. Although some of the pioneer work in metallography had been carried out by Heycock and Neville in the University Chemical Laboratory and formed part of the course in assaying chemistry, metallurgy was not included as a separate subject in the Natural Sciences

Tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

. The Goldsmiths’ Company had generously provided funds for a small laboratory and endowed a chair, but it was Hutton who first persuaded the university to introduce metallurgy into Part II of the Natural Sciences Tripos and later Part I. Hutton was elected 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 ...

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

and became a member of the Court of the Goldsmiths’ Company in 1936. Hutton’s activities were not confined to those directly concerned with his various appointments. He had two absorbing interests: technical education and libraries. His experience in the field of metallurgy led him to the conclusion that there was a sad delay between scientific advance and its application in industry, for which he blamed technical education, or rather lack of it. His practical interest was shown in the work which he did for the

City and Guilds of London Institute The City and Guilds of London Institute is an educational organisation in the United Kingdom. Founded on 11 November 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies – to develop a national system of technical education, the institute has ...

of which he was Chairman of Council from 1939 to 1948. He was largely instrumental in starting the Association of Special Libraries and was its president from 1942 to 1944. In 1912 Hutton married Sibyl, daughter of Sir Arthur Schuster, F.R.S., by whom be had a son and a daughter.

Society for the Protection of Science and Learning

Hutton was on the committee of the

from the date of its move to Cambridge at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and for 30 years never missed a meeting. For many years he was the honorary secretary and later honorary treasurer and was responsible for most of the work involved when the Society became a registered charity in 1959. From 1933 Hutton went to

several times to negotiate the release of scientists and scholars from

persecution and he served on the Society’s allocation committee from 1939. Incidentally, one of the founders of the Society,

A. V. Hill Archibald Vivian Hill (26 September 1886 – 3 June 1977), known as A. V. Hill, was a British physiologist, one of the founders of the diverse disciplines of biophysics and operations research. He shared the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Me ...

, was a fellow Old Blundellian.

Research and publications

Hutton published work in the ''

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...

'',

Transactions of the Faraday Society The ''Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions'' was a peer-reviewed scientific journal published from 1905 until 1998. The journal was originally published by the Faraday Society under the name ''Transactions of the Faraday Society'' ...

, and the Institute of Metals, contributing the Autumn Lecture to the Institute of Metals in 1922, on the "Science of Human Effort". Hutton took part in discussions on a number of papers of general metallurgical interest, and was an authority on refractories and furnace construction. He was one of those responsible for starting Research, a journal devoted to making scientific advance known to a wider public and to bridging the gap between pure science and its application to industry. He was secretary to the scientific advisory board of the journal.

References

Sources

* Letter from Professor W. Feldberg, ''The Times'', 18 August 1970 (pg. 8; Issue 57947; col F)
Robert Hutton papers
at

John Rylands Library The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is a late-Victorian neo-Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. It is part of the University of Manchester. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Enriquet ...

, Manchester.
The Papers of Professor Robert S. Hutton
held at

Churchill Archives Centre The Churchill Archives Centre (CAC) at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge is one of the largest repositories in the United Kingdom for the preservation and study of modern personal papers. It is best known for housing the papers of ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutton, Robert 1876 births 1970 deaths People educated at Blundell's School Leipzig University alumni British metallurgists Fellows of Clare College, Cambridge Goldsmiths' Professors of Materials Science