Huxley, Leonard George Holden (1902 - 1988)

Summary

Sir Leonard Huxley was a physicist whose interests were in electromagnetic wave propagation and electron and ion motion in gases. He made fundamental contributions to the theory of electrical conduction in lightly ionized gases which he developed to interpret both ionospheric phenomena and laboratory electron '"swarm" experiments to examine the collective behaviour of electrons in gases under the influence of electric and magnetic fields.

During the Second World War Huxley was attached to the Bawdsey Research Station (later the Telecommunications Research Establishment), where he was involved in the introduction of radar. He was given the task of establishing and heading a radar training school for both civilian and service personnel.

In 1949 Huxley became Elder Professor of Physics at the University of Adelaide. In this position he established PhD training programs, and research teams investigating meteor trails and upper-atmosphere winds, and electron drift and diffusion in gases, as well as biophysics, solid-state physics and seismology. His time in Adelaide proved to be his scientifically productive and influential.

In 1960 Huxley became Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU). His first challenge was to manage the amalgamation of the ANU (as the Institute of Advanced Studies) with the former Canberra University College (as the School of General Studies). He succeeded in greatly expanding the University's student numbers and budget.

Huxley was actively involved in many scientific and cultural organisations. These included the Australian Academy of Science, the National Standards Commission, and the National Library of Australia, in all of which he held executive positions. He was the last President of the Australian Branch, Institute of Physics, and the first of its successor, the Australian Institute of Physics.

Details

Chronology

1905

Life event - Migrated to Australia with his family

1922

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Tasmania

1923

Award - Rhodes Scholar for Tasmania

1925

Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Oxford

1928

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil), University of Oxford

1929

Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Oxford

1929 - 1931

Career Position - Physicist, Radio Research Board, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

1932 - 1940

Career Position - Lecturer in Physics, University College, Leicester

1940 - 1946

Career Position - Principal Scientific Officer, Ministry of Aircraft Production, United Kingdom

1946 - 1949

Career Position - Reader in Electromagnetism, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

1949 - 1960

Career Position - Professor of Physics, University of Adelaide

1950

Award - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), ad eundem gradum, University of Adelaide

1953 - 1960

Career Position - Member of Council, University of Adelaide

1953 - 1965

Career Position - Chairman, National Standards Commission

1953 - 1988

Award - Petitioner for the Academy, Founding Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

1954 - 1955

Career Position - President, Australian Branch, Institute of Physics

1956 - 1959

Career Position - Member of Council, Australian National University

1956 - 1962

Career Position - Member of Council, Australian Academy of Science

1957 - 1958

Career Position - Vice-President, Australian Academy of Science

1958 - 1961

Career Position - Chairman, Radio Research Board

1959 -

Career Position - Member, National Committee for Space Research, Australian Academy of Science

1959 - 1962

Career Position - Secretary (Physical Sciences), Australian Academy of Science

1960

Career Position - Member of the Executive, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

1960 - 1964

Career Position - Member, US Education Foundation in Australia

1960 - 1967

Career Position - Vice-Chancellor, Australian National University

1961 - 1972

Career Position - Member of Council, National Library of Australia

1962

Career Position - President, Australian Branch, Institute of Physics

1962

Award - Doctor of Science (DSc), honoris causa, University of Tasmania

1962 - 1965

Career Position - President, Australian Institute of Physics

1964

Award - Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) - For service as Vice-Chancellor of the ANU

1965 - 1969

Career Position - Inaugural Chairman, Australian American Educational Foundation

1968 - 1970

Career Position - Visiting Fellow, Australian National University

1969 - 1974

Career Position - Member of Council, Canberra College of Advanced Education

1980

Award - Doctor of Science (DSc), honoris causa, Australian National University

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Leonard George Holden Huxley - Records, 1933 - 1948, MS 102; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details
• Thomas Henry Huxley - Records, 1851 - 1971, MS 134; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

University of Adelaide, Physics Department

• Leonard George Holden Huxley - Records, 1949 - 1959; University of Adelaide, Physics Department. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, 2012, http://www.eoas.info/basser_browse.html. Details

Books

• Huxley, L. G. H.; and Crompton, R.. W., The diffusion and drift of electrons in gases (New York: Wiley, 1974), 669 pp. Details
• Munro, G. H.; and Huxley, L. G. H., Atmospherics in Australia, 1 (Melbourne: Government Printer, 1932), 49 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Crompton, Robert W., 'Huxley, Sir Leonard George Holden (1902 - 1988), physicist and vice-chancellor' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 17: 1981 - 1990 A-K, Diane Langmore, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2007). https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/huxley-sir-leonard-george-holden-516. Details
• Huxley, L. G. W., 'Research in Mathematics and Physics' in Introducing South Australia : [prep. originally for the 33rd meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science], Rupert Best, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1958). Details
• Lovell, Bernard, 'Sir Leonard George Holden Huxley, 1902-1988' in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004). Details

Journal Articles

• Crompton, R. W., 'Leonard George Holden Huxley 1902-1988', Historical Records of Australian Science, 8 (4) (1991), 249-264. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9910840249.htm. Details
• White, F. W. G.; and Huxley, L. G. H., 'Radio Research Australia, 1927-39', Records of the Australian Academy of Science, 3 (1) (1975), 7-29. http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9750310007.htm. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3830306. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/38539163. Details
• 'Huxley, L G H (19020529-19880904)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-869237. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Huxley, Leonard George Holden - Ms 102', in Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings, Australian Academy of Science, 1994, http://www.science.org.au/basser/manuscript-collection/ms102.html. Details
• 'Huxley, Leonard George Holden', in Physics in Australia to 1945, R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham, Australian Science Archives Project, June 1995, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/physics/P000513p.htm. Details
• Anon, 'Huxley, Sir Leonard George Holden (1902 - 1988)', in Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, Canberra, 1988. https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/huxley-sir-leonard-george-holden-516. Details
• Crompton, R. W., 'Leonard George Holden Huxley 1902-1988', in Australian Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs, Australian Academy of Science, 2006, https://www.science.org.au/fellowship/fellows/biographical-memoirs/leonard-george-holden-huxley-1902-1988. Details
• Ward, C., 'Sir Leonard George Holden Huxley', in CSIROpedia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 2011, https://csiropedia.csiro.au/Huxley-Sir-Leonard-George-Holden. Details

See also

• Brown, R. Hanbury; Minnett, Harry C; White, Fredrick W. G., 'Edward George Bowen 1911-1991', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (2) (1992), 151-166. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920920151. Details
• Heyde, C. C., 'Patrick Alfred Pierce Moran 1917-1988', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (1) (1992), 17-30. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920910017. Details
• Wright, J. F. H., Measurement in Australia, 1938-1988: a History of Australia's National Standards Laboratory (Sydney: CSIRO, Division of Applied Physics, 1998), 142 pp. Details