Sir Richard Gregory, 1st Baronet

For persons of a similar name, see Richard Gregory (disambiguation).

Sir Richard Gregory, 1938

Sir Richard Arman Gregory, 1st Baronet FRS,^[1] FRAS (29 January 1864 – 15 September 1952) was a British astronomer and promoter of science. Some of his work was published as by Richard A. or R. A. Gregory.

Richard Arman Gregory was born in Bristol on 29 January 1864.^[1] His father was John Gregory, 'the poet cobbler'.^[1]

Gregory was professor of astronomy at Queen's College, London, and wrote textbooks on astronomy, chemistry, hygiene, physics and other scientific subjects.^[2] He was also a member of the Council of British Association for the advancement of science and Chairman of the Committee on Science Teaching in Secondary Schools. He was knighted in 1919, for "remarkable public work in organising the British Scientific Products Exhibition".^[3][4] He subsequently served as editor of Nature between 1919 and 1939,^[5] and was credited with helping to establish Nature in the international scientific community. In 1924, he served as president of the Geographical Association. His obituary by the Royal Society stated: "Gregory was always very interested in the international contacts of science, and in the columns of Nature he always gave generous space to accounts of the activities of the International Scientific Unions."^[1] He was created a Baronet, of Bristol in the County of Gloucester, on 30 January 1931.^[6] In 1933 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.^[7]

From 1947 to 1951, Gregory became President of the Ethical Union (now Humanists UK), succeeding journalist H. N. Brailsford, and succeeded by the legal scholar Lord Chorley.^[8] He was also an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist Association.^[8]

Gregory married Dorothy Mary Page (Dusky) on 27 Jan 1931. He died in September 1952, aged 88, when the baronetcy became extinct. Gregory was elected by the old students of the Royal College of Science to be president of the Royal College of Science Association of Imperial College London, and served from 1919 until 1922.

Arms

Coat of arms of Sir Richard Gregory, 1st Baronet

Crest Upon a bridge composed of one whole and two half arches masoned Proper a griffin passant Azure. Escutcheon Per chevron Or and Azure semee of estoiles of the first in chief two open books Proper edged Gold bound Gules issuant from coulds in base a globe Proper. Motto Neminem Timere [9]

References

1. Stratton, F. J. M. (1953). "Richard Arman Gregory. 1864–1952". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 8 (22): 410–26. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1953.0007. JSTOR 769219.
2. "Richard Gregory Archive". Special Collections. University of Sussex (sussex.ac.uk/library).
3. "No. 31316". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 April 1919. p. 5422.
4. "No. 31361". The London Gazette. 27 May 1919. p. 6508.
5. "Obituary Sir Richard Gregory, Bart., F.R.S." Nature. 170: 520. 27 September 1952. doi:10.1038/170520a0. S2CID 4283852.
6. "No. 33686". The London Gazette. 3 February 1931. p. 744.
7. The Royal Society: List of Fellows of the Royal Society 1660–2007.
8. "Humanist Heritage: Presidents of Humanists UK". Humanist Heritage. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
9. Burke's Peerage. 1949.

External links

• Works by Sir Richard Gregory at Faded Page (Canada)
• Sir Richard Gregory at Library of Congress

Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baronet (of Bristol) 1931–1952	Extinct
Media offices
Preceded by Norman Lockyer (1869–1919)	Editor in Chief of Nature 1919–1939	Succeeded by L. J. F. Brimble (1939–1961)
		Succeeded by A. J. V. Gale (1939–1961)