Born on 26 October 1874 at Bradford, the son of the Rev. Edward Pearce Lowry (1843-1921; e.m.1865), he was educated at Kingswood School and the Central Technical College, South Kensington, where he became assistant to the professor of chemistry in 1896. From 1904 he also taught at Westminster College. In 1913 he became the head of the chemistry department at Guy's Hospital and in 1920 professor of phsical chemistry at Cambridge. His research broke new ground in a number of fields and his work on ammonium nitrate led to his involvement in the production of shells in World War I. For this he received an OBE in 1918. He also received honorary doctorates from Brussels and Dublin universities. He was vice-president of the Chemical Society 1922-1924 and president of the Faraday Society 1928-1930. His publications included a Historical Introduction to Chemistry (1915). His wife was the daughter of the Rev. Cornelius Wood (1843-1927; e.m.1867). He himself was a local preacher who loved to preach in village chapels. He died in Cambridge on 2 November 1936.

Category: Person
Comment on this entry