Record

Authorised form of nameThompson; Benjamin (1753 - 1814); Count Rumford; physicist
Dates1753 - 1814
NationalityBritish
Place of birthWoburn, Massachusetts
Date of birth26 March 1753
Place of deathParis, France
Date of death25 August 1814
DatesAndPlacesBurial:
Auteuil cemetery, Paris, France
Research fieldPhysics
ActivityCareer:
Under Secretary for the Colonies (1780); Lieutenant-Colonel of the King's American Dragoons (1780); in service of the Elector of Bavaria (1784-1795); founded the Royal Institution (1799)
Honours:
Kt 1784
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election22/04/1779
RSActivityRoyal Society roles:
VP 1799-1804
Medals and prizes:
Copley Medal 1792; Rumford Medal 1800
RelationshipsSecond wife was Marie Anne Pierret Paulze, widow of Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (FRS 1788); took title of Count von Rumford (1795)
SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
References:
C Harrison Dwight, 'Count Rumford' in NR 1954-55 vol 11 pp 189-201, plate
Sir John Meurig Thomas, 'Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford and the Royal Institution' in NR 1999 vol 53 pp 11-25, plate
R V J, review of Gwendy Caroe, The Royal Institution: An Informal History in NR 1986-87 vol 41 pp 107-110
R V Jones, 'Benjamin Franklin' in NR 1976-7 vol 31 pp 201-225
G N Cantor, 'Thomas Young's Lectures at the Royal Institution' in NR 1970 vol 25 pp 87-112
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/84815521
CodeNA8287
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
CB/2/358Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson3 September 1787
CB/2/56Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson22 May 1787
CB/2/755Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson31 March 1786
CB/2/764Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson19 May 1786
MM/3/58Letter from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, Munich, to Sir Joseph Banks20 April 1797
CB/2/750Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson7 February 1786
MM/11/22Instrument by Joseph Banks appointing Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, Deputy President of the Royal Society18 May 1799
MM/9/4Letter from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, Munich, to Sir Joseph Banks6 July 1784
MM/9/6Letter from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, Munich, to Cadel & Davies, Booksellers6 July 1797
MM/9/5Letter from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, Munich, to Cadel & Davies, Booksellers20 January 1797
CB/2/347Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson17 August 1787
CB/1/3/52Letter from R Chenevix to Charles Blagden15 May 1808
CB/1/6/165Letter from Sir Benjamin Thompson, Berne to Charles Blagden, Royal Society, Somerset Place, London31 July 1803
CB/2/15Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson7 July 1786
CB/2/5Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson13 June 1786
CB/2/19Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson4 August 1786
CB/2/41Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Benjamin Thompson6 October 1786
CB/1/6/161Letter from Sir Benjamin Thompson, Pall Mall Court to Charles Blagden29 January 1781
CB/1/6/162Letter from Sir Benjamin Thompson, Vienna to Charles Blagden2 December 1783
CB/1/6/163Letter from Sir Benjamin Thompson, Verona to Charles Blagden26 July 1783
CB/4/11/1Papers concerning the Royal Institution and the Society of Antiquaries 1799-1810
CB/1/6/164Letter from Sir Benjamin Thompson, Munich to Charles Blagden20 December 1797
MC/2/176Letter from William De Ville, 2 Savoy Street, Strand, to the Secretary of the Royal Society9 June 1835
L&P/12/71Paper, 'An enquiry concerning the nature of heat and the mode of its communication' by Benjamin Thompson1803
L&P/11/43Paper, 'An enquiry concerning the source of heat which is excited by friction' by Benjamin Thompson1797
L&P/11/26/1Paper, 'Experiments to determine the force of fired gunpowder' by Benjamin Thompson1796
L&P/8/178/1Paper, 'New experiments on heat' by Benjamin Thompson1786
L&P/9/23Letter, 'On the specific gravity, strength, diameter, cohesion of silk' from Benjamin Thompson to unknown author24 June 1786
L&P/8/178/2Plate, 'Various thermometers' by Benjamin Thompson1786
L&P/7/191/1Paper, 'New experiments on gunpowder' by Benjamin Thompson1780
L&P/8/178Paper, 'New experiments on heat' by Benjamin Thompson1786
L&P/10/72/1Letters, 'Account of a method of measuring the comparative intensities of the light emitted by luminous bodies' from Benjamin Thompson to Joseph Banks1 March 1793
L&P/9/29/1Letter, 'Experiments on the production of dephlogisticated air' from Benjamin Thompson to Joseph Banks1 September 1786
L&P/11/43/1Paper, 'An enquiry concerning the source of heat which is excited by friction' by Benjamin Thompson1797
L&P/9/29/2Plate, 'Experimental apparatus' by Benjamin Thompson1786
L&P/10/73Letter, 'Account of some experiments on coloured shadows' from Benjamin Thompson to Joseph Banks1 March 1793
L&P/11/26Paper, 'Experiments to determine the force of fired gunpowder' by Benjamin Thompson1796
L&P/11/98Paper, 'An inquiry concerning the weight ascribed to heat' by Benjamin Thompson1799
MM/18/31Letter from the National Portrait Gallery to WB Hardy25 April 1917
IM/000699Thompson, Benjamin, Count Rumfordnd
MM/9/7Letter from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, Dover, to Sir Joseph Banks21 September 1801
CB/1/6/160Letter from Sir Benjamin Thompson, Pall Mall Court to Charles Blagden17 January 1781
NLB/32/22Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to George Derby, Managing Editor, Messrs J T White & Company, Publishers, 5 &7 East 16th Street, New York [USA]13 December 1905
L&P/7/191/3Plate, 'Cross section of barrel' by Benjamin Thompson1780
L&P/7/191/4Plate, 'Apparatus for experiment' by Benjamin Thompson1780
L&P/7/191/2Plate, 'Cross section of screws' by Benjamin Thompson1780
EC/1779/04Thompson, Benjamin, Count Rumford: certificate of election to the Royal Society
MM/11/54Letter from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, London, to Sir Joseph Banks12 July 1796
MC/1/21Letter from Jacobus Josephus Winterl, Professor of Chemistry and Botany at the University of Hungary, to the Royal Society31 August 1803
MC/1/47Letter from Placidus Heinrich, professor in experimental physics, Regensburg, to Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society4 March 1816
MC/1/61Letter from William Lester, Eavestone, to the Secretary of the Royal Society 1 February 1819
MC/1/212Letter from [Giovanni] Aldini, 23 Sherrard Street, Golden Square, to [Davies Gilbert], President of the Royal Society and to the Council 24 May 1830
MC/2Volume 2 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1832-1838
MC/3Volume 3 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1839-1843
MC/3/76Letter from Arthur Trevelyan, Wallington, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to the Council of the Royal Society17 March 1840
MC/1Volume 1 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1800-1831
P/0111Portrait of Thompson, Benjamin; Count Rumford
AP/8/20/2Unpublished statement, 'Observations and explanations relative to the subject of a letter from the right honorable Sir Joseph Banks Esq Bart K B President of the Royal Society, to Mr Russell, chargé des affaires of the United States, at the Court of London, dated Soho Square, 6th Feby 1812' by [Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford]20 February 1812
AP/8/20/1Unpublished manuscript, 'An enquiry concerning the source of the light which is manifested in the combustion of inflammable bodies' by Benjamin [Thompson] Count of Rumford[1812]
AP/6/5Unpublished paper, 'Mémoire physico chymique sur les principes du feu' by Dr Durade1 November 1798
L&P/11/63Letter, 'Enquiry concerning the chemical properties of light' from Benjamin Thompson to Joesph Banks1798
L&P/11/19Letter, 'Announcement of his decision to give £1000 to provide a medal' from Benjamin Thompson to Joseph Banks12 July 1796
L&P/7/191/5Plate, 'Figure illustrating experiment' by Benjamin Thompson1780
L&P/9/36Paper, 'Experiments made to determine the positive and relative quantities of moisture absorbed from the atmosphere by various substances under cimilar circumstances' by Benjamin Thompson1787
MC/10/90Letter from Wm [William] Ripley Nichols, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to the Royal Society17 March 1874
MC/10Volume 10 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal SocietyJuly 1873-1876
L&P/12/65Paper, 'Account of the curious phenomenon observed on the glaciers of Chamouny; together with observations on the propogation of heat in fluids' by Benjamin Thompson1803
L&P/7/191Paper, 'New experiments on gunpowder' by Benjamin Thompson1780
L&P/9/29Paper, 'Experiments on the production of dephlogisticated air' by Benjamin Thompson1 September 1786
L&P/9/218Letter, 'Experiments on heat' from Benjamin Thompson to Joseph BanksJune 1787
L&P/10/72Paper, 'Account of a method of measuring the comparative intensities of the light emitted by luminous bodies' by Benjamin Thompson1 March 1793
AP/8/20Unpublished paper and statement, 'An enquiry concerning the source of the light which is manifested in the combustion of inflammable bodies' by Benjamin [Thompson] Count of Rumford[1812]
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