Sir David Henry Follett (5 September 1907 – 11 May 1982) was an English curator who was Director of the

Science Museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in mu ...

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 ...

from 1960 to 1973. Follett was born in

Kingston, Surrey Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

, and attended Rutlish Grammar School (1919–26). He then studied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

in the

Clarendon Laboratory The Clarendon Laboratory, located on Parks Road within the Science Area in Oxford, England (not to be confused with the Clarendon Building, also in Oxford), is part of the Department of Physics at Oxford University. It houses the atomic and ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

as a student at

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

. Follett joined the Science Museum in 1937 as an Assistant Keeper, when Colonel

E. E. B. Mackintosh Colonel (United Kingdom), Colonel Ernest Elliot Buckland Mackintosh, (3 November 1880 – 25 November 1957)

was the Director. He was later Director of the museum from 1960 to 1973. Follett was also an author and a Fellow of the Museums Association. Follett was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed for his contribution to the museum world in 1967. He married Helen A. Wilson in 1932. Helen, Lady Follett, died in 1996.Fur flies over £1m house for cats

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

, 4 March 2004.

Books

* Follett, David, ''The Rise of the Science Museum under

Henry Lyons Henry J. Lyons (born 1942) is a former president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. who was indicted by federal prosecutors in 1998 for fraud, extortion, money laundering, conspiracy and tax evasion. Early life Lyons was raised by his ...

''. London: Science Museum, 1978. .

References

1907 births 1982 deaths Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford English curators Directors of the Science Museum, London Knights Bachelor 20th-century English historians Fellows of the Museums Association 20th-century British businesspeople {{UK-historian-stub