Thomson, Sir William, 1824-1907 (1st Baron Kelvin | mathematical physicist and Professor of Natural Philosophy, University of Glasgow 1846-1899)
Biography
Sir William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824-1907) was an eminent mathematical physicist and scholar, accredited with establishing an absolute scale of temperature, known as the Kelvin Scale. He specialised in research in mechanical energy and heat, resulting in the invention of the Kelvin Compass, the sounding machine, and his work on the Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable. He was the first British scientist to be awarded a peerage and to sit in the House of Lords, becoming Baron Kelvin of Largs in 1892. He was president of The Royal Society (1890-1895), and was hailed as a "Prince of Science" on an American tour (Editorial, The Sun, New York, April 20 1902) for his innovations. Knighted in 1866, Thomson became the first scientist to be elevated to the peerage when he was created Baron Kelvin of Largs in 1892. He died at his home in Ayrshire and was buried in Westminster Abbey on 23 December 1907.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Correspondence: GA Le Bel to G De Lorenzo, 1869-1914
The Correspondence: Albert Auguste de Lapparent to Charles Lapworth sub-series consists of:
- 36 letters, alphabetically arranged (1869-1914)
Correspondence: Sir John Stuart Keltie to Herbert Kynaston, 1867-1916
The Correspondence: Sir John Stuart Keltie to Herbert Kynaston sub-series consists of:
- 24 letters, alphabetically arranged (1867-1916)