![FMIB 36353 Small Colony of Pyrosoma](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/FMIB_36353_Small_Colony_of_Pyrosoma.jpeg)
Sir William Abbott Herdman
FRS 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 ...
FLS (5 September 1858,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
– 21 July 1924) was a Scottish
marine zoologist 01 or '01 may refer to:
* The year 2001, or any year ending with 01
* The month of January
* 1 (number)
Music
* 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001
* ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000
* ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011
* ''O1'' (Hiroyuki Sawa ...
and
oceanographer
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...
.
His zoological author abbreviation is Herdman.
Life
![Grave of Sir William Abbott Herdman in Highgate Cemetery](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Grave_of_Sir_William_Abbott_Herdman_in_Highgate_Cemetery.jpg)
He was born in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
the son of the artist
Robert Herdman RSA and his wife, Emma Abbott. They lived at 32 Danube Street. He was educated at
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...
from 1870 to 1875.
Archibald Geikie
Sir Archibald Geikie (28 December 183510 November 1924) was a Scottish geologist and writer.
Early life
Geikie was born in Edinburgh in 1835, the eldest son of Isabella Thom and her husband James Stuart Geikie, a musician and music critic. T ...
taught him geology during his time at the
University of Edinburgh
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 15 ...
. Herdman graduated BSc in 1879 and became the assistant of Sir
Charles Wyville Thomson
Sir Charles Wyville Thomson (5 March 1830 – 10 March 1882) was a Scottish natural historian and marine zoologist. He served as the chief scientist on the Challenger expedition; his work there revolutionized oceanography and led to his knight ...
. In this capacity he was placed as Secretary to the
Challenger Expedition
The ''Challenger'' expedition of 1872–1876 was a scientific program that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the naval vessel that undertook the trip, .
The expedition, initiated by Wil ...
Commission: overseeing the deciphering of the huge catalogue of information found during this important exploration.
In 1880 he became Demonstrator of Zoology at the
University of Edinburgh
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 15 ...
and then, in 1881, the first holder of the Derby Chair of
Natural History at Liverpool University College (later to become the
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
). In 1881 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
Charles Wyville Thomson
Sir Charles Wyville Thomson (5 March 1830 – 10 March 1882) was a Scottish natural historian and marine zoologist. He served as the chief scientist on the Challenger expedition; his work there revolutionized oceanography and led to his knight ...
,
Sir William Turner
Sir William Turner (7 January 1832, in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster – 15 February 1916, in Edinburgh) was an English anatomist and was the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1903 to 1916.
Life
Turner was born in Lancaster ...
, Sir
Archibald Geikie
Sir Archibald Geikie (28 December 183510 November 1924) was a Scottish geologist and writer.
Early life
Geikie was born in Edinburgh in 1835, the eldest son of Isabella Thom and her husband James Stuart Geikie, a musician and music critic. T ...
and
Sir John Murray. He won the Society's
Neill Prize
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 ...
for the period 1880–1883.
In 1890 he founded the research station at
Puffin Island off the north Wales coast, appointing
Philip Jacob White
Philip Jacob White FRSE (1863–26 December 1929) was a 19th-century British physician and zoologist.
Life
He was born in Purandhar in 1863, the son of the Rev Adam White (1829-1864), a missionary for the Free Church of Scotland in India, o ...
as its Director.
He devoted himself from 1891 to the organization of a laboratory for study of the sea. He endowed the Herdman chair of geology in 1916 and then a chair of Oceanography in 1919. He was the author of ''Founders of Oceanography and Their Work: An Introduction to the Science of the Sea '' (1923) and made many contribution to the scientific study of the fauna of the Irish Sea. He was interested in fisheries and studied in 1901-1902 the harvesting of pearls in
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. He was a specialist in
tunicate
A tunicate is a marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata (). It is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords (including vertebrates). The subphylum was at one time ca ...
s.
Herdman was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1892. He served as president of the
Linnean Society
The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...
from 1904 to 1908. He was the president of the
British Association
The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
for 1919–1920.
He died in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
on 21 July 1924. He is buried in the eastern section of
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
.
Family
He married twice: firstly in 1882 to Sarah Wyse Douglas (1861-1886), daughter of
David Douglas, publisher and bookseller,
and secondly in 1893 to
Jane Brandreth Holt (1867–1922), daughter of the shipping merchant
Alfred Holt
Alfred Holt (13 June 1829 – 28 November 1911) was a British engineer, ship owner and merchant. He lived at Crofton Estate, Crofton, Aigburth in Liverpool, England. Holt is credited with establishing the long distance steamship by develo ...
.
References
External links
*
Isle of Man biography page*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herdman, William Abbott
1858 births
1924 deaths
Scientists from Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish zoologists
Scottish oceanographers
Scottish marine biologists
Scottish geologists
Scottish archaeologists
Academics of the University of Liverpool
Presidents of the British Science Association
Presidents of the Linnean Society of London
Fellows of the Royal Society
Burials at Highgate Cemetery
Marine zoologists
Scottish knights
Knights Bachelor
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh