Ure, Andrew, 1778-1857

Variant names

Hide Profile

Chemist and author.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : London, to James Bradshaw, 1835 Jan. 14. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270573909

Andrew Ure was born in Glasgow in May 1778 and graduated MD from Glasgow University in 1801. After a brief spell as an army surgeon, Ure was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy at Anderson's Institution in 1804, in succession to George Birkbeck. In the spirit of John Anderson, he gave highly successful evening lectures on chemistry and mechanics for the working people of the city and built up a reputation as a competent practical chemist. He published a 'Dictionary of chemistry' in 1821 and a much-criticised 'New system of geology' in 1829. An account of the cotton industry followed in 1836 and a 'Dictionary of arts' in 1839. He was Director of the short-lived Garnethill Observatory from 1808. Ure was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1822, and played a leading part in the founding of the Pharmaceutical Society in 1840. In 1818 Ure achieved notoriety by galvanising the body of an executed criminal and apparently bringing it back to life. His personal life was stormy, and he divorced his wife in 1819 after her affair with his colleague, Granville Sharpe Pattison, Professor of Anatomy. Ure resigned his Chair at the Andersonian in 1830 and established himself as a consulting chemist in London, where he died in 1857.

From the guide to the Papers of Andrew Ure, 1812-1876, 2004, (Strathclyde University Archives)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Ure, Andrew, 1778-1857. Letters. Smithsonian Institution. Libraries
creatorOf Hare, Robert, 1781-1858. Letters and papers from scientists and scientific organizations, 1793-1857. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Ure, Andrew, 1778-1857. Letter, 1817. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Robert Hunt letters, 1842-1879, 1842-1879 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Papers of Andrew Ure, 1812-1876, 2004 Strathclyde University Archives
referencedIn Hunt, Robert, 1807-1887. Letters, 1842-1879. American Philosophical Society Library
creatorOf Ure, Andrew, 1778-1857. Notes of some lectures delivered by Dr. Ure on mechanics & chemistry [manuscript] : with an appendix containing a lecture on the steam engine, and some illustrative sketches / by D. T. R. Saint Louis District Acoe Tech Library & Information
creatorOf Ure, Andrew, 1778-1857. Autograph letter signed : London, to James Bradshaw, 1835 Jan. 14. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Album materials, 1777-1925 American Philosophical Society
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Bradshaw, James, person
associatedWith Dibner, Bern, person
associatedWith Hare, Robert, 1781-1858. person
associatedWith Hunt, Robert, 1807-1887. person
associatedWith West, Theodore, 1826-1898. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Chemistry
Electricity
Steam engines
Mechanics
Universities
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1778-05-18

Death 1857-01-02

Britons

English

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65x27dq

Ark ID: w65x27dq

SNAC ID: 54500556