Sir Robert Robertson (17 April 1869 – 28 April 1949) was a British chemist who served as

HM Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

Government Chemist LGC Group, formerly the Laboratory of the Government Chemist, is an international life sciences measurement and tools company. It provides the role and duties of the UK Government Chemist, a statutory role and adviser to the government. LGC als ...

between 1921 and 1936. He was the first person to establish that two types of natural

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

existed.

Life

Robert Robertson was born in

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in F ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...

, the son of J. A. Robertson, a doctor of dental surgery, and Euphemia Russell. He was educated at

Bell Baxter High School Bell Baxter High School is a non-denominational comprehensive school for 11 to 18-year-olds in Cupar, Fife, Scotland. Founded in 1889, it educates over 1,500 pupils mainly from the surrounding villages. The school is one of 18 secondary school ...

. Robertson won the Balgonie Gold Medal in 1885 as Dux of Madras Academy, Cupar, one of the two schools that amalgamated to form Bell Baxter in 1889. The School Honours Boards list the winners of that medal from its institution in 1861. After leaving school he attended

St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, where he graduated in both Arts and Science. The same institution would later award him an honorary LLD. He was then appointed assistant in the laboratory of the city analyst in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

. He later obtained the post of analyst in the Royal Gunpowder Factory at

Waltham Abbey Waltham Abbey is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, within the metropolitan and urban area of London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the Greenwich Meridian, between the River Lea in the west and ...

. His work as Director of Explosives Research during the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was recognised with the award of a KBE. He was also honoured with his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1917. In 1921 he became Chief Government Chemist, a post held until his retirement in 1936. In 1922 he was elected President of the

Faraday Society The Faraday Society was a British society for the study of physical chemistry, founded in 1903 and named in honour of Michael Faraday. In 1980, it merged with several similar organisations, including the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Che ...

, in 1924 President of the

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Ch ...

, and from 1925 to 1927 he was a council member of the

Royal Society of London The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. In 1944, he was awarded the Royal Society's

Davy Medal The Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a monetary gift, initially of £1000 (currently £2000). H ...

" recognition of his researches on explosives, analytical methods, the internal structure of diamond, and infra-red absorption spectra". Sir Robert Robertson's archives are held by Archive Services,

University of Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , ...

Family

Robertson married Kathleen Stannus Stannus in 1903. They had two children: Jesanne Euphemia Stannus in 1909, and Robert Hugh Stannus in 1911.http://rse.mtcserver6.com/cms/files/fellows/obits_alpha/robertson_robert.pdf He was brother-in-law to Hugh Stannus Stannus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Robert 1869 births 1949 deaths People from Cupar People educated at Bell Baxter High School Alumni of the University of St Andrews 19th-century chemists 20th-century chemists 19th-century Scottish people Scottish knights Fellows of the Royal Society Scottish chemists Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Scottish civil servants