William Thomas Gordon
Prof William Thomas Gordon FRSE FGS FGSE FLS FGA (1884–1950) was a British palaeontologist and palaeobotanist in the early 20th century. He was also an expert on diamonds and gemstones and assisted Hatton Garden in the testing of rare stones.[1]
Life
He was born in Glasgow on 27 January 1884 the son of William Gordon a marine engineer and surveyor, and his wife Mary Patterson. The family moved to Edinburgh when he was young, living at 89 Ferry Road in the Leith district.[2] He was educated at George Heriot's School then studied sciences at Edinburgh University graduating MA BSc. This included studying Geology under Prof James Geikie.[3] From 1910 to 1912 he did postgraduate research at Cambridge University gaining a further MA.
In 1912 he returned to Edinburgh as a Lecturer in Palaeontology. In the same year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were James Geikie, John Horne, Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour, Robert Kidston and Ben Peach. He won the Society’s Makdougall Brisbane Prize in 1922.[4]
In 1914 he was given a post as Lecturer in Geology at King’s College London and took this opportunity. In 1920 he became a full Professor and remained until his retiral in 1949.
He died on 12 December 1950. He was unmarried and had no children.[5]
Positions and Awards
- Makdougall Brisbane Prize 1920-22
- British Geological Society’s Lyell Prize 1923[6]
- Vice President of the Geological Society of London 1937-39
- Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America 1938 onwards
Publications
The standard author abbreviation W.T.Gordon is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical name.[7]
- Discovery of Gold in Devon (1922)
- Preparation of Thin Rock Sections (1926)
- Gem Stones (1933)
- The Chemistry of Gemstones (1943)
References
- ↑ http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM37/AM37_257.pdf
- ↑ Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1895-96
- ↑ http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM37/AM37_257.pdf
- ↑ BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF FORMER FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 1783 – 2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0 902 198 84 X.
- ↑ The American Mineralogist vol 37 (journal) 1952)
- ↑ "The Geological Society". geolsoc.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ↑ IPNI. W.T.Gordon.