| Authorised form of name | Graham; George (1673 - 1751) |
| Dates | 1673 - 1751 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Horsgill, in the parish of Kirklinton, Cumberland, England |
| Date of birth | 07 July 1673 |
| Place of death | His house in Fleet Street, London |
| Date of death | 16 or 20 November 1751 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial:
The same grave as Tompion, Westminster Abbey, London |
| Occupation | Scientific instrument maker; Watchmaker |
| Activity | Education:
Apprenticed to Henry Aske, a watchmaker in London
Career:
Assistant, partner and then successor to Thomas Tompion; made instruments for the astronomers royal Edmund Halley (FRS 1678) and James Bradley (FRS 1718), for Samuel Molyneux's (FRS 1712) private observatory at Kew, and the apparatus used by the French Academy for measuring the meridian, as well as an orrery, named after Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery (FRS 1706); a Quaker, he disliked banks and kept his money in a strong box, lending large sums to his friends at no interest; one of those whom he thus encouraged was the instrument maker, James Harrison
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 09/03/1721 |
| RSActivity | Royal Society roles:
Council: 1722, 1724, 1726, 1728, 1730 |
| Relationships | Son of George Graham; married Elizabeth Tompion, niece of Thomas Tompion |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Clifton
References:
H G Lyons, 'Two Hundred Years Ago: 1739' in NR 1939 vol 2 pp 34-42
G L'E Turner, 'James Short, FRS, and his Contribution to the Construction of Reflecting Telescopes' in NR 1969 vol 24 pp 91-108
J A Chaldecott, 'Cromwell Mortimer, FRS (c. 1698-1752) and the Invention of the Metalline Thermometer for Measuring High Temperatures' in NR 1969 vol 24 pp 113-135
Richard Sorrenson, 'Towards a History of the Royal Society in the Eighteenth Century' in NR 1996 vol 50 pp 29-46
Geoffrey Cantor, 'Quakers in the Royal Society, 1660-1750' in NR 1997 vol 51 pp 175-193
Desmond King-Hele, 'Not So Dumb, After All?', review of R Sorrenson, ed., 'Did the Royal Society Matter in the Eighteenth Century?', British Journal for the History of Science, 32 (June 1999), 130-221, in NR 2000 vol 54 pp 120-122
'Gentleman's Magazine' 1751, p523
Notes:
Birth date supplied by the Clockmakers' Company. Proposed by Martin Folkes. DSB gives death date as 16 November 1751. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/792879 |
| Code | NA8405 |
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| IM/001730 | Graham, George | nd |
| RBO/21/38 | 'An Occultation of Aldebaran by the Moon ...' by George Graham | 1738 |
| RBO/11/66 | Observations of the solar eclipse by George Graham in Fleet Street, London | 1722 |
| MM/4/70 | Letter from Colin MacLaurin, Edinburgh, to George Graham | 15 February 1731/2 |
| RBO/11/90 | 'Account of Observations made of the Variation of the horizontal Needle at London in the Latter part of the year 1722 and beginning of 1723' by George Graham watchmaker | 1723 |
| EL/P1/117 | Extract of a letter, from Lord Paisley [James Hamilton] to George Graham | 1723 |
| RBO/11/59 | 'An account of Colonel Molesworth's Hourglass by Mr G Graham' | 1722 |
| RBO/11/118 | 'Transit of Mercury over the Disk of the Sun observ'd in Fleet Street, London on October 29, 1723' by George Graham | 1723 |
| RBO/20/6 | 'An Account of the going of a Clock at London and at Cartagena in the years 1733 and 1734 collected by Mr George Graham' | 1736 |
| RBO/11/43 | 'Observation of an extraordinary highth [height] of the barometer December 21 1721 by Mr George Graham Watchmaker' | 1721 |
| LBO/24/32 | Copy letter from James Short, Edinburgh, to George Graham | 6 December 1737 |
| CLP/3ii/15 | Observations, 'Account of Coll [Colonel] Molesworth's hourglass' by [George] Graham | [1722] |
| DM/5/102 | A list of benefactors to the Museum, to the value of £5 or upwards at one time | c.1737 |
| RBO/20/5 | 'Observations of the occultation of Mars by the Moon October 7 and of the Transit of Mercury over the Sun's Disk October 31 1736 made in Fleet Street, London with a Refracting Telescope of 12 feet by Mr George Graham' | 1736 |
| IM/001729 | Graham, George | nd |
| CLP/8ii/63 | Paper, 'The Sun’s eclipse on 18 February 1737, observed in Fleet Street, London' by George Graham | 1737 |
| CLP/9ii/18 | Paper, 'An account of observations made of the variation of the horizontal needle at London, in the latter part of the year 1722 and beginning of 1723' by George Graham | [1723] |
| CLP/8ii/47 | Paper, 'Observations of the occultation of Mars by the Moon October 7 and of the transit of Mercury over the Sun's disk October 31 1736' by George Graham | 1736 |
| CLP/9ii/19 | Paper, 'Observations of the dipping made at London at the beginning of the year 1723' by George Graham | [1723] |
| CLP/9ii/28/2 | Plate, ink drawing of water spout | [1732] |
| CLP/8ii/64 | Paper, '1735/6 March 15. Eclipse of the Moon observed in Fleet Street [London]' by George Graham | 1736 |
| CLP/9ii/28 | Paper, 'An account of some magnetical observations made in May, June and July 1732 in the Atlantick [Atlantic] or Western Ocean; as also the description of a water spout' by Joseph Harris | [1732] |
| CLP/9ii/33 | Paper, 'A journal of observations made on the variation of the magnetic needle in 1722 and 1723' by George Graham | [1723] |
| RBO/12/32 | 'A Contrivance to avoid the Irregularities in a Clocks motion occasion'd by the Action of heat and cold upon the Rod of the Pendulum' by George Graham Watchmaker | 1726 |
| CLP/9ii/28/1 | Manuscript, 'An account of some magnetical observations made in May, June and July 1732 in the Atlantick [Atlantic] or Western Ocean; as also the description of a water spout' by Joseph Harris | [1732] |
| EL/P1/116 | Letter, from Lord Paisley [James Hamilton] to George Graham, dated at Witham | 18 October 1723 |
| EL/F2/32 | Letter, from [Charles Francois de Cisternay] Du Fay to G[eorge] Graham | 1738 |
| CLP/4i/63 | Paper, 'Observation of an extraordinary height of the barometer' by George Graham | 11 January 1721 |
| EL/M3/58 | Extract of a letter, from Monsieur [Pierre Charle] le Monnier to George Graham | nd |
| CLP/8i/71 | Paper, 'The transit of Mercury observed in Fleetstreet [London]' by George Graham | 1723 |
| RBO/18/42 | 'Observation of the Eclipse of the Sun on May 2 1733 in the afternoon by Mr George Graham in Fleet Street made with a Telescope of ten feet in length fitted with a Micrometer' | 1733 |
| CLP/3ii/20 | Paper, 'A contrivance to avoid irregularities in a clock's motion occasioned by the action of heat and cold upon the pendulum' by George Graham | 1726 |
| CLP/3ii/36 | Paper, 'An account of some observations made in London by Mr George Graham and at Black River in Jamaica by Colin Campbell concerning the going of a clock in order to determine the difference between the lengths of isochronal pendulums in those places' | 1733 |
| RBO/18/8 | Eclipse of the Moon observed in Fleet Street London on the night of 20 November 1732 by George Graham | 1732 |
| CLP/8ii/37 | Paper, 'An eclipse of the moon observ'ed in Fleet Street, London, 20 November 1732 at night' by George Graham | 1732 |
| CLP/8ii/50 | Paper, 'An observation of an eclipse of the Moon, made in Fleet Street London' by George Graham and James Short | 1736 |
| CLP/8ii/49 | Paper, 'Observations of the transit of Mercury over the Sun 31 October 1736' by George Graham | 1736 |
| CLP/8ii/42 | Paper, 'An observation of the eclipse of the Sun on 2 May 1733 in the afternoon' by George Graham | 1733 |
| CLP/8i/70 | Paper, 'The same eclipse observed in Fleet Street, London' by George Graham | 1722 |
| CLP/8ii/18 | Paper, regarding a lunar eclipse witnessed in Fleet Street, London on 28 July 1729 by [George] Graham | 1729 |
| CLP/8i/77 | Paper, 'An account of the appearance of Mercury, peeking over the Sun's diskon 29 October 1723' by Edmond Halley | 1725 |
| RBO/21/35 | 'An Eclipse of the Sun observed August the 4th 1738 by Mr George Graham and Mr Short at Mr Graham's House in Fleet Street London...' | 1738 |
| RBO/11/92 | 'Observations of the Dipping made at London the beginning of the year 1723' by George Graham | 1725 |