Person Thomson; William (1824 - 1907); Baron Kelvin of Largs; mathematician and physicist Thomson William mathematician and physicist 1824 - 1907 British Male College Square East, Belfast, Ireland 26 June 1824 18240626 Netherhall, near Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland 17 December 1907 19071217 Burial: Westminster Abbey, London, England, Europe (23 December 1907).

College, Glasgow (1841)

Mathematician; physicist Thermodynamics Engineering Mathematics Physics Education: Royal Belfast Academical Institution; Glasgow University (1834); Peterhouse, Cambridge (1841) Career: Chair of natural philosophy (1846); formulated the two great laws of thermodynamics, the laws of equivalence and of transformation (1851-54); began research into cables (1854); director of the newly formed Atlantic Telegraph Co where he developed a device for receiving messages (1856); reformed the mariners' compass to minimise oscillations and to correct errors arising from the magnetism of the ship's hull (1873-78); patented his improved sound machine (1876); resigned his chair at the University of Glasgow (1899); died from a severe chill. Memberships: British Association (President 1871) Society of Telegraph Engineers (President 1874) Royal Society of Edinburgh (President 1873–8; 1886–90; 1895–1907) Honours: Kt 1866; Baron Kelvin 1892; GCVO 1896; OM 1902 Awards/Medals: First Smith's Prize 1845 Keith Medal 1864 Matteucci Medal 1876 Albert Medal 1879 John Fritz Medal 1905 Parents: James Thomson (1786–1849), professor of mathematics in the collegiate department of the Belfast Academical Institution, and Margaret Gardner (c.1790–1830), daughter of Elizabeth Patison of Kelvin Grove, west of Glasgow, Scotland. Siblings: James Thomson (FRS 1877); Anna Thomson, other of James Thomson Bottomley (FRS 1888). Nephew: James Thomson Bottomley (FRS 1888) Spouse: 1) Margaret Crum (d. 1870), daughter of cotton manufacturer and calico-printer Walter Crum (FRS 1844) (September 1852) 2) Frances Anna, sister of James Bottomley's wife. Instrumental in the formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Contributed to unifying physics, in its infancy as a discipline at the time. First scientist to be elevated to the House of Lords (1892). Absolute temperatures are stated in units of kelvin in his honour. The Joule–Thomson effect in thermodynamics is named in his honour. Advanced the ideas of Michael Faraday (FRS 1824), Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier (FRS 1823), James Prescott Joule (FRS 1850). Royal Society roles: PRS 1890-1895 Medals and prizes: Royal Medal 1856; Copley Medal 1883 Lectures: Bakerian 1856 Fellow 05/06/1851 27 Baden Powell Adam Sedgwick Michael Faraday Lyon Playfair John Thomas Graves John Couch Adams Charles Wheatstone Robert Willis James Booth William Hopkins William Whewell Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Garce's Guides Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc Series A 1908 vol 81 pp iii-lxxvi, three plates, signed by J L References: J S Rowlinson, 'Energy in the 19th Century', review of Crosbie Smith, The Science of Energy. A Cultural History of Energy Physics in Victorian Britain in NR 1999 vol 53 pp 281-282 Sir Brian Pippard, 'Genius in Context', review of P M Harman, The Natural Philosophy of James Clerk Maxwell in NR 1999 vol 53 pp 279-281 John Varley Jeffery, 'The Varley Family: Engineers and Artists' in NR 1997 vol 51 pp 263-279 Frank A J L James, review of Crosbie Smith and M Norton Wise, Energy and Empire: a Biographical Study of Lord Kelvin in NR 1991 vol 45 pp 122-124 Colin A Russell, review of Donald S L Cardwell, James Joule: A Biography in NR 1990 vol 44 pp 311-313 P M Harman, 'Newton to Maxwell: the Principia and British Physics' in NR 1988 vol 42 pp 75-96 Frank A J L James, 'Between Two Scientific Generations: John Herschel's Rejection of the Conservation of Energy in His 1864 Correspondence With William Thomson' in NR 1985-86 vol 40 pp 53-62 Frank A J L James, 'The Conservation of Energy, Theories of Absorption and Resonating Molecules, 1851-1854: G G Stokes, A J Angstrom and W Thomson' in NR 1983-84 vol 38 pp 79-107 David Gooding, 'A Convergence of Opinion on the Divergence of Lines: Faraday and Thomson's Discussion of Diamagnetism' in NR 1981-82 vol 36 pp 243-259 J S Rowlinson, 'The Theory of Glaciers' in NR 1971 vol 26 pp 189-204 Otto Mayr, 'Victorian Physicists and Speed Regulation: An Encounter Between Science and Technology' in NR 1971 vol 26 pp 205-228 Paul A Tunbridge, 'A Letter by William Thomson, FRS, on the "Thomson Effect"' in NR 1971 vol 26 pp 229-232 J T Lloyd, 'Background to the Joule-Mayer Controversy' in NR 1970 vol 25 pp 211-225 Vanity Fair 29 April 1897 - "Natural Philosophy" by 'Spy' Graeme Gooday, 'A Victorian scientist and engineer', review of Gillian Cookson and Colin Hempstead, 'Fleeming Jenkin and the birth of electrical engineering' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 265-266 J S Rowlinson, 'The work of Thomas Andrews and James Thomson on the liquefaction of gases' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 143-159 W Hayes, 'Physics as well as poetry. Physicists of Ireland, edited by M McCartney and A Whitaker' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 245-246 J S Rowlinson 'Which Kelvin? Degrees Kelvin: a tale of genius, invention, and tragedy, by D Lindley' in NR 2005 vol 59 pp 339-342 T Quinn, 'The Palace of Westminster frescoes, Kelvin's secretary and the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine', in NR 2006 vol 60 pp 135-137 J S Rowlinson, 'Dr Thomas Carver and Lord Kelvin', in NR 2006 vol 60 pp 161-170 Thomson P0079.jpg ©The Royal Society 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/rspa.1908.0057 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Thomson%2C+William RCN R66432 RCN R66433 RCN 11916 RCN R66429 RCN 16127 RCN R66436 RCN R66437 RCN R66430 RCN R66438 RCN R82723 RCN 55414 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH8423 26 Jun 1824 - 17 Dec 1907 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 25/09/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8289 21/11/2001 Andyg Martind 02/04/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/29592835 1aae98d0-03cf-44ca-bde3-f27130ee90c8