Person Richardson; Sir; Owen Willans (1879 - 1959); physicist Richardson Owen Willans Sir physicist 1879 - 1959 British Male Blenheim Terrace, Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England 26 April 1879 18790426 Chandos Lodge, Alton, Hampshire, England 15/02/1959 19590215

Canon Place, Hampstead, London; 45 Haverstock Hill, Belsize Park, London;

physicist Physics Electronics Thermionics Education: St John's Church day school, Dewsbury; Batley Grammar School (to 1900); Trinity College, Cambridge; University College London, Clerk Maxwell scholar (London DSc) Career: Began research at the Cavendish Laboratory, supervised by Joseph John Thomson (FRS 1884) (1900); appointed to the chair of physics at Princeton (1906); predicted a rotational reaction on magnetization of iron (1908); developed a theory of the photoelectric effect (1911); returned to England to the Wheatstone chair of physics at King's College, London (1913); appointed Yarrow research professor of the Royal Society (1924-1944); published extensively (1901-1953); died of cerebral thrombosis. Medals and prizes: Nobel Prize (Physics) 1928 Honours: Kt 1939 Memberships: Physical Society (President 1926–8; Honorary Foreign Secretary 1928-1945) North-East Hampshire Agricultural Association (President 1948-9) Parents: Joshua Henry Richardson, woollen manufacturer, andCharlotte Maria Willans. Spouse: 1) Lilian Maud (1875/6–1945), daughter of Albert William Wilson, goods manager to the North Eastern Railway Company at Darlington, and sister of his friend H. A. Wilson 2) Henrietta Maria Rupp (b. 1896/7), physicist and early observer of electron diffraction. Known for Richardson's law (thermionic emission) and Einstein–de Haas effect (change in the magnetic moment of a free body causes this body to rotate). He coined the word thermion. Medals and prizes: Hughes Medal 1920; Royal Medal 1930 Grants and fellowships: Yarrow research professor (1904) Fellow 01/05/1913 32 Joseph John Thomson; William Henry Bragg; George Frederick Charles Searle; Charles Thomson Rees Wilson; James Hopwood Jeans; William Cecil Dampier Whetham; Robert John Strutt Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DSB Obituaries: Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 1959 vol 5 pp 207-215, plate, by Wm Wilson References: P B Moon, 'The (London) Physics Club, 1928-1953' in NR 1992 vol 46 pp 171-174 R Singh and F Riess, 'The nobel laureate Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman FRS and his contacts with the British Scientific community in a social and political context' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 47-64 Richardson O W, GA WS 1190.jpg ©Godfrey Argent Studio International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.1960.0016 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Richardson%2C+Owen+Willans RCN R60857 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH7166 26 Apr 1879 - 15 Feb 1959 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 15/05/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA7014 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/144995859 eb37e69f-c025-4df4-bddd-4d54fa78bf52