Ellice Martin Horsburgh

Quick Info

Born

30 January 1870
Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland

Died

28 December 1935
Edinburgh, Scotland

Summary

Ellice Horsburgh graduated from Edinburgh and became a lecturer in Technical Mathematics at the University.

Biography

Ellice Horsburgh's parents were the Reverend Andrew Horsburgh and Ellen Sarah Vost. He was educated at the Collegiate School, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh.

He trained for the Indian Civil Service, but falling very ill, was instructed to go to Australia to improve his health. During this sea journey he became interested in navigational mathematics. He arrived at Melbourne during a financial panic and then participated in the Coolgardie Gold Rush of 1892. After two years of little success as a gold miner he returned to Scotland in 1894.

He enroled in Edinburgh University and was awarded an M.A. and B.Sc. in Engineering in 1897, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in 1899. He was appointed as a Lecturer in Electrical Engineering at Leith Technical College before being appointed a Lecturer in Technical Mathematics at Edinburgh University in 1903. He was promoted to Reader in 1920.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh on 7 March 1904 having been proposed by George Chrystal, Charles Tweedie, Sir Thomas Hudson Beare, Cargill Gilston Knott. He married Helen Howden Ferme in 1920.

Horsburgh was an active member of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society. An obituary, written by E T Whittaker, was published in the Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society at THIS LINK.

Other Mathematicians born in Scotland

References (show)

E T Whittaker, Ellice Martin Horsburgh, M.A., D.Sc., A.M.INST.C.E., F.R.S.E, Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. 4 (1934-36), 272-273.

Additional Resources (show)

Other pages about Ellice Horsburgh:

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Honours (show)

Honours awarded to Ellice Horsburgh

Cross-references (show)

Written by J J O'Connor and E F Robertson
Last Update August 2007