John Ferguson (chemist) explained

John Ferguson FRSE LLD (23 January 1837 – 2 November 1916) was a Scottish chemist and bibliographer. He is noted for the early alchemy and chemistry bibliography Bibliotheca chemica.[1] He was generally nicknamed Soda Ferguson. The Ferguson Collection, a collection of 7,500 books and manuscripts from his personal library is held by the University of Glasgow.[2]

Life

Ferguson was born on 24 January 1838 in Alloa, Scotland, the son of Elizabeth Donaldson and Adam Ferguson. He moved at an early age to Glasgow and attended Glasgow High School.[3]

He graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BA in 1861 and an MA in 1862. In 1874, he was appointed the Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, in place of Prof Thomas Anderson.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1888. His proposers were Sir William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), James Thomson Bottomley, Peter Guthrie Tait and Alexander Crum Brown. The University of St Andrews awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD).[4]

Ferguson had an extensive library of books pertaining to alchemy, early chemistry, metallurgy, mineralogy, Paracelsus, the Romani language, the Rosicrucians, and witchcraft. In 1921 the University of Glasgow purchased about 11,000 of the books for the sum of £7,000.

He died of heart disease at his home, 6 Claremont Terrace in Glasgow, on 3 November 1916. He was aged 78.

He is buried in the family burial plot in Alloa.

Memberships

Family

He married Helen Baird in 1882.[3]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ferguson, John (1838–1916) . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . 9 July 2014 . Weston . David . Oxford University Press . 2004.
  2. Web site: University of Glasgow - Services A-Z - Special collections - Collections A-Z - Ferguson Collection . Gla.ac.uk . 2017-01-28.
  3. Web site: Microsoft Word - oldfells_list_jun06.doc . Royalsoced.org.uk . 2017-01-28 . 24 January 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130124115814/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf . dead .
  4. The Times : Obituaries, 4 November 1916
  5. Book: British Archaeological Association. Journal of the British Archaeological Association. London, British Archaeological Association. Getty Research Institute.
  6. Book: Recent Inquiries Into the Early History of Chemistry: Introductory Address ... . John Ferguson . 2015-09-16 . 2017-01-28.
  7. Web site: The first history of chemistry : Ferguson, John, 1837-1916 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive . Archive.org . 2017-01-28.
  8. Web site: Some early treatises on technological chemistry : Ferguson, John, 1837-1916 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive . Archive.org . 2017-01-28.
  9. Book: Bibliotheca chemica: a catalogue of the alchemical, chemical and pharmaceutical books in the collection of the late James Young of Kelly and Durris : Vol. 1 . John Ferguson . Glasgow, Scot. Royal College of Science and Technology. Andersonian Library . Archive.org . 2017-01-28.
  10. Book: Bibliotheca chemica: a catalogue of the alchemical, chemical and pharmaceutical books in the collection of the late James Young of Kelly and Durris : Vol. 2 . John Ferguson . Glasgow, Scot. Royal College of Science and Technology. Andersonian Library . Archive.org . 2017-01-28.
  11. Web site: Books of secrets. A paper read before the Bibliographical Society, April 21, 1913 : Ferguson, John, 1837-1916 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive . Archive.org . 2017-01-28.

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