| Authorised form of name | Swinton; Alan Archibald Campbell (1863 - 1930); electrical engineer |
| Dates | 1863 - 1930 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | 9 Albyn Place, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Date of birth | 18 October 1863 |
| Place of death | 40 Chester Square, Westminster, London, England |
| Date of death | 19/02/1930 |
| Dates and places | Cremation: Golders Green Crematorium (24 February 1930) |
| Occupation | electrical engineer |
| Research field | Telecommunications |
| Electricity |
| Electrical engineering |
| Engineering |
| Activity | Education:
Fettes College, Edinburgh, Scotland (1878); Le Havre, France (1881)
Career:
Apprenticed in Sir William George Armstrong’s (FRS 1846) engineering works (Elswick-on-Tyne (1882-1887); published The Principles and Practice of Electric Lighting (1883); moved to London and set up as an independent electrical contractor and consulting engineer (1887) working on electrical installations in country houses and making connections with many of the earliest electric supply companies; took the first photograph produced by X-rays in England and published it in Nature, a month after Röntgen's discovery (1896); introduced Guglielmo Marconi to William Henry Preece, engineer-in-chief of the Post Office, resulting in the deployment of radio telegraphy (1896); in association with Sir Charles Parsons (FRS 1898), closely involved with the early development of the steam turbine and with the construction of the turbine ship Turbinia and served on the board of Parson’s company (1897); chairman of Messrs Crompton & Co and consultant to Sir William George Armstrong (1904); published his thoughts for the use of cathode ray tubes to transmit and display pictures, in response to a critique of a mechanical system by Shelford Bidwell (1908); advised BBC engineers against the use of mechanical Baird Company television system; died of pneumonia (1930).
Memberships:
Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineers
Röntgen Society (President 1911)
Radio Society (President 1913) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 06/05/1915 |
| Age at election | 52 |
| Proposer | Charles Algernon Parsons; Andrew Noble; Robert Stawell Ball; Silvanus Phillips Thompson; William Ramsay |
| John Wolfe Barry; William Henry White; William Cawthorne Unwin; Philip Watts; Robert Edmund Froude; Richard Tetley Glazebrook; George Forbes |
| Relationships | Parents: Archibald Campbell Swinton (1812–1890), of Kimmerghame, Berwickshire, professor of civil law in the University of Edinburgh, 1842–62, and Georgiana Caroline (1823–1900), daughter of Sir George Sitwell, second baronet, of Renishaw, Derbyshire. |
| Published works | RCN R65549
RCN R64809
RCN R65551 |
| General context | The first to use lead-covered wires and cables for electric wiring in ships.
Took the first photograph produced by X-rays in England.
He provided the theoretical basis for electronic television. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc Series A 1931 vol 130 pp xiii-xv, plate, signed by A R
References:
J D McGee, 'The Contribution of A A Campbell Swinton, FRS, to Television - A Correction' in NR 1982-83 vol 37 p 119
J D McGee, 'The Contribution of A A Campbell Swinton, FRS, to Television' in NR 1977-8 vol 32 pp 91-105 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/100721340 |
| Royal Society code | NA8285 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| EC/1915/14 | Swinton, Alan Archibald Campbell: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| NLB/7/954 | Copy letter from Herbert Rix, to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, S.W. | 2 June 1893 |
| IM/007141 | Group photograph | 1911 |
| NLB/2/426 | Copy letter from Herbert Rix, to Alan Archibald Cambell Swinton [Fellow of the Royal Society] | 19 June 1888 |
| NLB/18/616 | Copy letter from Arthur William Rucker, to [A A C] Swinton | 11 April 1899 |
| NLB/13/428 | Copy letter from Theodore E James, to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, S.W. | [2] September 1896 |
| NLB/14/579 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to William Henry Preece, Fellow of the Royal Society | 1 April 1897 |
| NLB/14/656 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Messrs Harrison & Sons | 26 April 1897 |
| NLB/14/840 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton, Fellow of the Royal Society | 27 May 1897 |
| NLB/14/402 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton, [Fellow of the Royal Society], 66 Victoria Street, S.W. | 5 March 1896 |
| NLB/35/381 | Copy letter from Joseph Larmor, to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton | [27] May 1907 |
| NLB/15/889 | Copy letter from Richard Tetley Glazebrook, to Messrs Harrison & Sons | 10 January 1898 |
| NLB/16/712 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to A A Campbell Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, S.W. | 24 May 1898 |
| NLB/16/721 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to W H Preece, Fellow of the Royal Society, Telegraph Department, General Post Office | 25 May 1898 |
| NLB/17/186 | Copy letter from Theodore E James, to F J Rebman, Rebman Publishing Company | 16 August 1898 |
| NLB/18/321 | Copy letter from Arthur William Rucker, to A A C Swinton | 22 February 1899 |
| NLB/18/756 | Copy letter from an unknown correspondent, to Messrs Harrison & Sons | 8 May 1899 |
| NLB/39/107 | Copy letter from Joseph Larmor to A [Alan] A [Archibald] Campbell Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, SW | November 1908 |
| NLB/35/210 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton | 1 May 1907 |
| NLB/35/169 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton | 25 April 1907 |
| NLB/37/511 | Copy letter from the Royal Society to The Editor of "The Chemical News", 16 Newcastle Street, Farringdon Street, EC | 31 March 1908 |
| NLB/37/754 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to The Honorable C [Charles] A [Algernon] Parsons, Fellow of the Royal Society | 8 May 1908 |
| NLB/39/527 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to A [Alan] A [Archibald] Campbell Swinton | 2 February 1909 |
| NLB/52/531 | Copy letter from [Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society]; to Messrs Harrison & Sons | 7 January 1916 |
| NLB/51/742 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton FRS | 14 June 1915 |
| NLB/52/251 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton Esquire, FRS | 25 October 1915 |
| NLB/52/288 | Copy letter from [Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society]; to Proceedings of the Royal Society | 3 November 1915 |
| NLB/52/289 | Copy letter from [Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society]; to Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society | 3 November 1915 |
| NLB/52/532 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton Esquire, FRS | 7 January 1916 |
| NLB/52/509 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton Esquire, FRS | 4 January 1916 |
| RR/17/230 | Referee's report by Harold Albert Wilson, on a paper 'On the electrification of anticathode reflections under cathode ray bombardment' by Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton | [April 1907] |
| NLB/58/381 | Copy letter from Edwin Deller, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald] Campbell Swinton Esquire, FRS | 28 April 1920 |
| NLB/58/404 | Copy letter from James Hopwood Jeans, Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald] Cambell Swinton Esquire, FRS | 30 April 1920 |
| NLB/58/261 | Copy letter from Edwin Deller, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald] Campbell Swinton Esquire; FRS | 13 April 1920 |
| NLB/59/422 | Copy letter from Edwin Deller, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton Esquire, FRS | 1 October 1920 |
| NLB/59/33 | Copy letter from Edwin Deller, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald] Campbell Swinton Esquire, FRS | 12 July 1920 |
| NLB/60/798 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton Esquire, FRS | 7 April 1921 |
| NLB/62/628 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton Esquire, FRS | 28 March 1922 |
| NLB/62/844 | Copy letter from James Hopwood Jeans, Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald] Campbell Swinton Esquire, FRS | 19 May 1922 |
| NLB/62/746 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton Esquire, FRS | 26 April 1922 |
| NLB/65/755 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Francis Fox; Alyn Bank, Wimbledon, S.W. | 18 December 1923 |
| NLB/57/895 | Copy letter from Edwin Deller, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Professor Herbert McLeod, FRS | 28 February 1920 |
| NLB/66/204 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton, FRS | 13 March 1924 |
| NLB/67/902 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to the Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research; 16 Old Queen Street, S.W.1. | 3 April 1925 |
| NLB/57/897 | Copy letter from Edwin Deller, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Professor WW [William Whitehead] Watts, FRS | 28 February 1920 |
| NLB/67/314 | Copy letter from James Hopwood Jeans, Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Henry [Bradwardine] Jackson, GCB, FRS, Admiral of the Fleet | 4 December 1924 |
| NLB/67/925 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton Esq., FRS | 8 April 1925 |
| NLB/71/24 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald] C. Campbell Swinton Esq., FRS | 7 December 1927 |
| NLB/70/944 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald] Campbell Swinton, Esq., FRS | 15 November 1927 |
| NLB/72/690 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Dugald Clerk, KBE, FRS | 3 March 1930 |
| NLB/72/673 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Dugald Clerk, KBE, FRS | 24 February 1930 |
| NLB/67/903 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir Charles [Scott] Sherrington, OM, President of the Royal Society | 3 April 1925 |
| IM/004472 | Swinton, Alan Archibald Campbell | nd |
| IM/005599 | Swinton, Alan Archibald Campbell | 1896 |
| NLB/14/663 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Messrs Harrison & Sons | 26 April 1897 |
| RR/17/207 | Referee's report by William Crookes, on a paper 'The conversion of diamond into coke in high vacuum by cathode rays' by Charles Algernon Parsons and Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton | 10 January 1908 |
| RR/25/25 | Referee's report by Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton, on a paper 'Experiments demonstrating an electrical effect in vibrating metals' by Henry Bradwardine Jackson and G B Bryan | 25 December 1918 |
| NLB/54/207 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to [Alan Archibald] Campbell Swinton Esquire, FRS | 5 March 1917 |
| NLB/71/448 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; W. T. L. Becker Esq., Colour Photographs Ltd., 1 Wilton Place SW1 | 24 May 1928 |
| NLB/52 | New Letter Book volume 52, copy letters sent from Royal Society administration | 9 July 1915-8 March 1916 |
| RR/13/276 | Referee's report by John Henry Poynting, on a paper 'Some experiments with cathode rays' by Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton | 15 March 1897 |
| RR/14/244 | Referee's report by Hugh Longbourne Callendar, on a paper [attributed] 'On the reflection of cathode rays' by Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton | 4 February 1899 |
| MC/20/415 | Letter from [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, London, to the Secretary of the Royal Society, Burlington House, London | 11 November 1905 |
| MC/20/414 | Letter from [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, London, to the Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society, Burlington House, London | 9 November 1905 |
| MC/20 | Volume 20 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1905 |
| MC/30/200 | Letter from [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, London, S.W, to [Robert] Harrison, [Royal Society] | 28 October 1915 |
| MC/30/198 | Letter from [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, S.W, to Mr [Robert] Harrison, [Royal Soicety] | 13 June 1915 |
| MC/30/199 | Letter from [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton, 40 Chester Square, S.W, to The Assistant Secretary, Royal Society | 24 October 1915 |
| MC/31/205 | Letter from [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton, 66 Victoria Street, London, S.W, to Mr [Robert] Harrison, Assistant Secretary, Royal Society, Burlington House, W | 5 January 1916 |
| MC/22/304 | Letter from Charles Algernon Parsons, Holeyn Hall, Wylam-on-Tyne, to [Robert William Frederick] Harrison | 7 January 1907 |
| MC/22/303 | Letter from Charles Algernon Parsons, Holeyn Hall, Wylam-on-Tyne, to [Robert William Frederick] Harrison | 30 December 1906 |