Harold A. Wilson (physicist)
Encyclopedia
Harold Albert Wilson was an English physicist.
He was born in York, England, the son of a railway clerk. His mother, Anne Gill, was the daughter of a farmer and innkeeper from Topcliffe. Harold had one sister, Lilian, who would marry Sir Owen W. Richardson
.
He was educated at Yorkshire College in Leeds, the University of Leeds
and the University of Berlin. In 1896 he was a colleague of English physicist J. J. Thomson
in Cambridge, and performed one of the earliest measurements of the electron
's charge. He was awarded his D.Sc. from London in 1900. From 1901 to 1904, he was a Clerk-Maxewell Student the Cavendish Laboratory
. He became a lecturer in Physics at King's College London
, then professor at the college in 1905. In 1909 he was a professor at McGill University
in Montreal. He joined the Rice Institute in 1912, becoming the first chair of the physics department. He spent a year at the University of Glasgow
in 1924 before becoming a physicist for an oil company in Houston. He retired from Rice University
in 1947.
He was born in York, England, the son of a railway clerk. His mother, Anne Gill, was the daughter of a farmer and innkeeper from Topcliffe. Harold had one sister, Lilian, who would marry Sir Owen W. Richardson
Owen Willans Richardson
Sir Owen Willans Richardson, FRS was a British physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1928 for his work on thermionic emission, which led to Richardson's Law.-Biography:...
.
He was educated at Yorkshire College in Leeds, the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and the University of Berlin. In 1896 he was a colleague of English physicist J. J. Thomson
J. J. Thomson
Sir Joseph John "J. J." Thomson, OM, FRS was a British physicist and Nobel laureate. He is credited for the discovery of the electron and of isotopes, and the invention of the mass spectrometer...
in Cambridge, and performed one of the earliest measurements of the electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
's charge. He was awarded his D.Sc. from London in 1900. From 1901 to 1904, he was a Clerk-Maxewell Student the Cavendish Laboratory
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
. He became a lecturer in Physics at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, then professor at the college in 1905. In 1909 he was a professor at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal. He joined the Rice Institute in 1912, becoming the first chair of the physics department. He spent a year at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in 1924 before becoming a physicist for an oil company in Houston. He retired from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
in 1947.