Thomas Wallace Fagan (4 February 1874 – 10 February 1951) was an agricultural chemist.

Early life and education

Fagan was born 4 February 1874 at

Talysarn Tal-y-sarn () is a village in the slate quarrying Nantlle Valley in Gwynedd, Wales, next to Penygroes. It is part of the community of Llanllyfni and includes some of Llandwrog. The ward had a population of 1,930 at the 2011 census, the built- ...

Caernarvonshire , HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon , Map= , Image= Flag , Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd) , year_start= , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...

. He was the son of James Fagan and Katherine Griffiths. He started his education at his local school, continued at Denstone college and then moved onto Gonville & Caius college situated in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, England and graduated in 1898. After graduation, for a short time he became a chemistry master at

Abertillery Abertillery (; cy, Abertyleri) is a town and a community of the Ebbw Fach valley in the historic county of Monmouthshire, Wales. Following local government reorganisation it became part of the Blaenau Gwent County Borough administrative area. ...

secondary school before going onto studying under two professors Winter and Dobbie at

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

. From then on, he had an extensive academic career.

Academic career

* In 1904, appointed lecturer at Harper Adams Agricultural college,

Salop Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

. * Lecturer 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 ...

, department of agriculture. * In 1919, appointed as an adviser, by

Aberystwyth University , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

, in agricultural chemistry under the Ministry of Agriculture for the counties served by Aberystwyth University. * In 1924, appointed head of the agricultural chemistry department at Aberystwyth University followed by a promotion to professor in 1931 He retired in 1939. Fagan was one of the leading British scientists in the study of the chemistry of grass and its conservation, in collaboration with Welsh Plant Breeding station, 1919 and 1939. Due to his published articles (usually found in Welsh Journal of Agriculture), he demonstrated his ability, leadership and dedication as an agricultural scientist. His work showed clear analyses which was of tremendous value to the discovery of the nutritive value of grasses, clovers and other grassland plants. He continued his research to the end of his life but it failed to receive the attention it deserved due to his unassuming nature.

Personal life

Fagan died 10 February 1951 in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

and was buried in the town cemetery. He had been married to Helena Teresa Hughes and they had one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Thomas Fagan Alumni of Bangor University Academics of the University of Edinburgh People associated with Harper Adams University Academics of Aberystwyth University 1874 births 1951 deaths People from Talysarn Welsh chemists People from Aberystwyth