John Theophilus Desaguliers

John Theophilus Desaguliers (* March 13, 1683 in La Rochelle, France, † February 29, 1744 in Covent Garden, United Kingdom) was a born in France, natural philosopher, scientist and inventor as well as a clergyman in the Church of England.

Life and work

Desaguliers was born into a Huguenot family fled in 1694 at the age of 11 years to England to escape the consequences by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. In 1705 he graduated at Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts. His reputation as a scientist was sealed not only by its three awards from the Royal Society, but also by his publication of his two -volume work A course of Experimental Philosophy. 1713 he held in London lectures on physics. In 1718 he graduated in theology at the Oxforter University and also received his doctorate.

On October 14, 1712, he married Joanna Pudsey, the daughter of William and Anne Pudsey of Kidlington, near Oxford. From their marriage four sons and three daughters were born. Only two sons survived infancy.

John Theophilus Desaguliers was a clergyman in the Church of England. Through the intercession of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, he was pastor of St. Lawrence's in Little Stanmore.

On July 29, In 1714 he was a member of the Royal Society. He received in 1734, 1736 and 1741, the Copley Medal, the highest award of the Royal Society. The award he received in 1741 for his discoveries of the properties of electricity. With Sir Isaac Newton, he was a friend and supported him in his experiments. With his speeches and texts he was one of Newton's advocates.

Desaguliers also improved the safety of the steam pump by Thomas Savery, by constructing a valve. He also designed a method for indierekte heating of steam boilers by means of water vapor in contrast to the fire and was thus able to significantly improve safety.

Freemasonry

Desaugliers is considered one of the fathers of Großlogenfreimaurerei. He was a member of the Masonic lodges Horne Tavern in Westminster and Lodge of Solomon 's Temple in Hemmings Row. In 1719 he was elected for the third Grand Master of the first Grand Lodge of England, to the Deputies Grand Master in 1723 and 1725th In the Book of Old Charges, the first Grand Lodge Constitution, he wrote the dedication to John Duke of Montagu, his wedding the richest man in England. The structure of the Grologenordnung he devoted much time and labor. On him the reintroduction of toasts at the annual festival of the Grand Lodge and panel boxes goes back. He also reformed the dress code from the Grand Master and lodge officers.

1731 Desaguliers was specially sent by the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster to Holland to take in The Hague in early June Francis Stephen of Lorraine Duke in Freemasonry. Franz Stephan traveled a little later to England and received in the Maid 's Head Lodge in the country house of the statesman Robert Walpole in Norfolk received the Master degree. He left England on 9 December 1731.

Death and descendants

Desaguliers became ill in his later years at the throat. He died after a long illness at his home ( Bedford Coffee House ), in Covent Garden, London, he was Buried on 29 February 1744. March 6 in the Savoy Chapel, Savoy Street, London.

He hienterließ two sons:

  • John Theophilus (1718-1751) graduated at Oxford, and became a pastor. He died childless.
  • Thomas Desaguliers (1721-1780) made ​​a career in the British Army. On April 1, 1748, he was appointed Chief Fire Master at the Royal Arsenal. He developed there scientific principles to the production of cannons and the improvement of firepower. Furthermore ünterstützte and he oversaw the fireworks as background music of the concert by George Frideric Handel in Green Park.

Works

  • Fires improv'd: Being a New Method of Building Chimneys, so as to Prevent Their Smoaking, from the French by Nicolas Gauger (London, 1715 ), mostly about to elaborate form of fire grate
  • The Motion of Water and Other fluid from the French by Edmé Mariotte (London, 1718)
  • The Mathematical Elements of Natural Philosophy, from the Latin by WJ ' sGravesande (London, 1720)
  • The Whole Works of Dr. Archibald Pitcairne, from the Latin (London, 1727), with G. Sewell
  • An Account of the Mechanism of an Automaton, from the French by J. de Vaucanson (London, 1742).
  • The Newtonian system of Allegorical Poem (London, 1728), written on the accession of George II
  • Appendix on the reflecting telescope, pp. 211-288 in William Brown's translation Dr. Gregory's Elements of Catoptrics and Dioptrics (London, 1735), Which contains most of the correspondence in between Newton and others Relating to the development of Newton 's form of instrument did in 1668 and subsequently
  • A Dissertation Concerning Electricity ( London, 1742), the French version End of month (Bordeaux, 1742) received a prize Awarded by the Académie de Bordeaux (Course of Experimental Philosophy, II, 335).
National Portrait Gallery (London) City of Westminster Masonic Lodge Officers#Worshipful Master Kanonen John Venn Cambridge University Press Dictionary of National Biography Integrated Authority File
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