George Dixon Longstaff
| George Dixon Longstaff MD, FCS | |||||||||
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| Born | 1799 | ||||||||
| Died | 1894 | ||||||||
| Residence |
Southfields, Wandsworth, SW Butterknowle, Wandsworth, S.W. [1885] | ||||||||
| Occupation | medical | ||||||||
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Contents
Notes
Office Notes
House Notes
1881.10.25 proposed
Notes From Elsewhere
Thomas Longstaff’s subjects comprised: the Properties of Matter, Mechanics, Pneumatics, Hydrostatics ,Hydraulics, Heat, Meteorology, Astronomy, and the Elements of Chemistry. During the greater part of the time, his eldest son, George Dixon Longstaff was his experimental assistant
George Dixon Longstaff, the eldest child, was born at Bishop Wearmouth in the County of Durham on the 31st March 1799. He left the town when 31/2 years old, but returning thither with his father in 1814, he led the latter straight to the house where he was born, so strong was his memory of localities even at that early age. He first went to school at York, to one John Fox, who taught him to read, at what age cannot now be ascertained, but he was only 7 when he left York for Darlington (1806-1809) where he went to the school of one Thomas Taylor, a Quaker, from whom he learned to write, also arithmetic and English grammar. In 1810-13, he lived at Hamsterley and attended the grammar school at Witton-le-Wear. .........
In 1868 Dr. W. A. Miller suggested that the Chemical Society might encourage research by grants of money, and up to the end of 1875 the Society made several small grants, in all some £60. On 3 February 1876 Dr. Longstaff, then a Member of the Council, offered to give £1000 to the Society to be invested and the interest expended in the promotion of chemical research, provided that another £1000 could be raised. It was a stipulation of the Doctor’s that a gold medal of not less than £20 should be given triennially to the Fellow of the Society who in the opinion of the Council had done most to promote Chemical Science since the last award.
It was subsequently agreed that a bronze medal, to be called the LONGSTAFF MEDAL together with a purse of £20, should take the place of the proposed gold medal..........
On the adoption of the Public Library Acts by Wandsworth in 1883 Dr. Longstaff received the largest number of votes at the election of Commissioners; he was accordingly elected Chairman, and continued to hold the position till his death. This new work greatly interested him, and he threw into it an energy quite extraordinary for his age. He gave over £2000 towards the extinction of the debt, but his chief gift was the Longstaff Reading Room, which was opened by the Baroness Burdett-Coutts 12 March 1887 ......
After a very short illness he died 23 September 1892, in his 94th year, having survived his wife nearly thirteen years. He left two sons and eleven grandchildren
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