James Finlay Weir Johnston
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/James_F_W_Johnston_by_Stephen_C_Dickson.jpg/220px-James_F_W_Johnston_by_Stephen_C_Dickson.jpg)
James Finlay Weir Johnston,
and mineralogist.Life
Born in
Johnston founded a grammar school in Durham in 1825,[2] which later merged with other local schools, such as Brandon and Bowburn, to form a single comprehensive school for the area, named Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, preserving James Finlay Weir Johnston's name.[1]
He acquired a fortune at the time of his marriage in 1830, and was able to devote himself to studying chemistry. He visited the chemist
In 1832 he was elected a Fellow of the
He was appointed reader in Chemistry and Mineralogy at Durham University on its foundation in 1833, but continued to reside in Edinburgh out of term.[2] From 1847, his assistant was Augustus Voelcker who also lectured in agricultural chemistry at Durham University.[5]
In 1849 the Assembly of New Brunswick contracted Johnston to survey and report on potential development.[6] In his Notes on North America, Johnston reported that the Provincial soils were more productive than those of New York or Ohio.
Johnston died in Durham on 18 September 1855.[1] He is buried in the churchyard at St. Bartholomew's church in Sunderland Bridge near Croxdale. Choosing to be buried in a country churchyard rather than in Durham City to avoid polluting drinking water drawn from local springs in the city as his body decayed.[7]
Works
Johnston's works are available through Internet Archive:
- 1845: Catechism of Agricultural Chemistry and Geology
- 1851: Notes on North America: agricultural, economical and social, volume 1
- 1851: Notes on North America: agricultural, economical and social, volume 2
- 1855: Chemistry of Common Life, volume 1, first edition
- 1855: Chemistry of Common Life, volume 2, first edition
Family
In 1830 he married the daughter of Thomas Ridley of Durham.[6]
References
- ^ a b c Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- ^ a b Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
- ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Canadian Dictionary of Biography
- ^ "How Durham Johnston School got its name".
- Johnston, James Finlay Wier at The Nuttall Encyclopedia
External links
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