| Authorised form of name | Higgins; William (? 1762 - 1825) |
| Dates | ? 1762 - 1825 |
| Place of birth | Collooney, County Sligo, Ireland |
| Date of birth | 1762 or 1763 |
| Place of death | Dublin, Ireland |
| Date of death | 30 June 1825 |
| Occupation | Chemist |
| Research field | Chemistry |
| Activity | Education:
Pembroke College, Oxford (1786-1788) did not complete degree
Career:
Assistant to his uncle Dr Bryan Higgins, physician and chemist who ran a school of practical chemistry in Greek Street, Soho, London, but left after a disagreement; wrote 'a comprehensive view of the phlogistic and anti-phlogistic theories' (1789) which contributed to the demise of phlogistic theories and suggested the existence of atoms and attractions between them; Chemist to the Apothecaries Company of Ireland (1791); Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Dublin Society (1791-1825); Chemist and librarian, Royal Dublin Society (1795); worked on minor industrial applications of chemistry such as bleaching for the Irish Linen Board; founder member of Kirwanian Society (1812). Claimed to have developed the principles of the atomic theory before John Dalton.
Memberships:
MRIA (1794)
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 12/06/1806 |
| Relationships | Son of Thomas Higgins, grandson of Bryan Higgins both medical doctors |
| PublishedWorks | 'A Comparative View of the Phlogistic and Antiphlogistic Theories' (1789) |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Irish Innovators
References:
M I Grossman 'William Higgins at the Dublin Society, 1810-1820: the loss of a professorship and a claim to the atomic theory' NR 2010, vol 64 pp417-434
Notes:
Possible birth date of 1763. DSB gives death date. |
| Code | NA5134 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| L&P/9/82 | Paper, 'Experiments and observations on the human calculus' by Wiliam Higgins | 2 April 1787 |
| EC/1806/06 | Higgins, William: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |