Rivett, Albert Cherbury David (David) (1885 - 1961)

Summary

Sir David Rivett was a member of the CSIR Executive 1926-1949 becoming Chief Executive Officer in 1927 and then Chairman in 1946. Earlier he held the post of Professor of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne 1924-1927.

The David Rivett Medal, named in his honour, is awarded by the CSIRO Officers Association.

Details

Chronology

1906

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

1907

Award - Rhodes Scholarship

1909

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

1910

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

1910

Career position - Chemist, Nobel Institute of Physical Chemistry, Stockholm, Sweden

1911 - 1912

Career position - Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, University of Melbourne

1912 - 1914

Career position - Organising secretary, 84th Meeting, British Association for the Advancement of Science

1913

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Melbourne

1913

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

1914 - 1919

Military service - First World War. Served with the Australian Army Medical Corps and at the British munitions works, United Kingdom

1921 -

Career position - Foundation Councillor (Chemistry), Australian National Research Council

1921 - 1924

Career position - Associate Professor, University of Melbourne

1924

Career position - President, Section B (Chemistry), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science

1924 - 1927

Career position - Professor of Chemistry, University of Melbourne

1927 - 1945

Career position - Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

1930 - 1931

Career position - President, Society of Chemical Industry of Victoria

1935

Award - Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)

1936 - 1937

Career position - Representative of the CSIR, Nutrition Advisory Council, Commonwealth Government

1937

Career event - Fellow, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS)

1937

Award - R. M. Johnston Memorial Medal, Royal Society of Tasmania

1937 - 1939

Career position - President, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science

1939 - 1940

Career position - President, Australian Chemical Institute

1941

Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)

1946 - 1949

Career position - Chairman (part-time), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

1948 - 1949

Career position - President, Australian Chemical Institute

1949

Career position - President, Society of Chemical Industry of London

1953

Award - James Cook Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales

1953 - 1961

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

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Albert Cherbury David Rivett - Records, 1887 - 1961, MS 083; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Corporate Records and Archives Strategies

• Albert Cherbury David Rivett - Records, 1926 - 1961; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Corporate Records and Archives Strategies. Details

Wellcome Collection

• Victoria Eugenics Society, 1940 - 1961, SA/EUG/E.4; Eugenics Society [SA/EUG]; Wellcome Collection. Details
• Victoria Eugenics Society, 1914 - 1939, SA/EUG/E.3; Eugenics Society [SA/EUG]; Wellcome Collection. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• Exhibition Papers, A Bright Sparcs Exhibition, Australian Science Archives Project, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/exhib_papers.htm. Details
• Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, 2012, http://www.eoas.info/basser_browse.html. Details

Books

• Carey, Jane, Taking to the field: a history of Australian women in science (Clayton, Vic.: Monash University Press, 2023), 297 pp. Details
• Currie, George; Graham, John, The Origins of CSIRO: Science and the Commonwealth Government, 1901-1926 (Melbourne: CSIRO, 1966), 203 pp, https://ebooks.publish.csiro.au/content/origins-csiro. Details
• King, Bill; McCarthy, Gavan, The Records of Albert Cherbury David Rivett (1885-161) and the British Association for the Advancement of Science Australian Meeting, 1914 (Melbourne: Australian Science Archives Project, 1988), 37 pp. Details
• Rivett, David, The application of science to industry in Australia (Brisbane: W. R. Smith & Paterson, 1944), 47 pp. Details
• Rivett, R., David Rivett: Fighter for Australian Science (Camberwell, Victoria: R. D. Rivett, 1972), 225 pp. Details
• Rivett, Rohan, David Rivett : fighter for Australian science ([Camberwell, Vic.]: R. D. Rivett, 1972), 225 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Schedvin, C. B., 'Rivett, Albert (1855-1934), clergyman and pacifist, and Sir Albert Cherbury David (1885-1961), scientist and administrator' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 11: 1891 - 1939 Nes-Smi, Geoffrey Serle, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1988), pp. 398-401. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110709b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Florey, Howard, 'David Rivett Memorial Lecture. The Development of Modern Science', Australian Journal of Science, 26 (1963), 99-105. Details
• Gresford, G. B., 'Sir David Rivett', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, 28 (1961), 182-184. Details
• Marston, H. R., 'Albert Cherbury David Rivett 1885 - 1961', Biographical memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 12 (1966), 437-55, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbm.1966.0021. Details
• Rivett, A. C. D., 'Sir David Orme Masson, 1858 - 1937', Obituary notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, 2 (7) (1939), 454-64. Details
• Rivett, David, 'Presidential address: The scientific estate.', Report of the twenty-third meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science, Auckland meeting, January, 1937 (1937), 1-13. Details
• Schedvin, C. B., 'Environment, Economy and Australian Biology 1890-1939', Historical Studies, 21 (1984), 11-28. Details
• Upstill, Garrett; Spurling, Thomas H.; and Healy, Terence J., 'CSIR and Australian industry, 1926-49', Historical Records of Australian Science, 32 (1) (2021), 52-66. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR20012. Details

Resources

• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/48801528. Details
• Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society [Online resource], Royal Society of London, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbm.1966.0021. Details
• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5239090. Details
• King, Bill; McCarthy, Gavan, Albert Cherbury David Rivett and the British Association for the Advancement of Science Australian Meeting, 1914 Guide to Records, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, 2004, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/guides/rive/rivett.htm. Details
• 'Rivett, David (1885-1961)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-573980. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Rivett, Albert Cherbury David - Ms 83', in Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings, Australian Academy of Science, 1994, http://www.science.org.au/basser/manuscript-collection/ms083.html. Details
• Ward, C., 'Sir Albert Cherbury David Rivett', in CSIROpedia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 2011, https://csiropedia.csiro.au/Rivett-Sir-Albert-Cherbury-David. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_r.html. Details
• Binnie, Anna, 'Oliphant, the Father of Atomic Energy', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 139 (2006), 11-22, https://royalsoc.org.au/images/pdf/journal/139_Binnie2.pdf. Details
• Bolton, H. C., 'Optical Instruments in Australia in the 1939-45 War: successes and lost opportunities', Australian Physicist (1990). http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/bolton2.htm. Details
• 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
• Caro, D. E.; Martin, R. L., 'Leslie Harold Martin 1900-1983', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (1) (1987), 97-107. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9870710097. Details
• Clarebrough, L. M.; Head, A. K., 'Walter Boas 1904-1982', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (4) (1987), 507-517. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9870640507. Details
• Dahlitz, Ray, Secular who's who : a biographical directory of freethinkers, secularists, rationalists, humanists and others involved in Australia's secular movement from 1850 onwards (Balwyn, Victoria: R. Dahlitz, 1994), 192 pp. p.113. Details
• French, E. L.; and Stewart, D.F., 'Lionel Bately Bull, 1889-1978', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (4) (1983), 90-110. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9830540090. Details
• French, E. L.; and Sutherland, A. K., 'Arthur William Turner 1900-1989', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (1) (1992), 49-63. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920910049. Details
• Hyde, B. G.; and Day, P, 'John Stuart Anderson', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (2) (1992), 127-49. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920920127. Details
• Morison, Patricia, The Martin spirit: Charles Martin and the foundation of biological science in Australia (Canberra: Halstead Press, 2019), 296 pp. Details
• Norris, K. R., 'Ian Murray Mackerras 1898-1980', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (2) (1981), 98-114. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9810520098. Details
• Paterson, M. S., 'John Conrad Jaeger 1907-1979', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (3) (1982), 64-88. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9820530064. Details
• Rees, A. L. G., 'Ian William Wark 1899-1985', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (4) (1987), 533-548. https://doi.org/10.1071HR9870640533. Details
• Sherratt, Tim, '"On the beach": Australia's nuclear history' (1996).. http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/pubs/articles/tps/tps_on_the_beach.htm. Details
• Sherratt, Tim, 'CSIRO' in Oxford Companion to Australian History, Graeme Davison; John Hirst; Stuart Macintyre, ed. (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998), pp. 164-165. http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/pubs/articles/tps/csiro_history.htm. Details
• Stephens, C.G.; and Quirk, J.P., 'James Arthur Prescott 1890-1987', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (3) (1988), 299-313. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9880730299. Details
• Walsh, A.; and Willis, J. B., 'Albert Lloyd George Rees 1916-1989', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (1) (1992), 31-47. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920910031. Details
• White, F. W.G., 'Robert Gordon Menzies (1894-1978)', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (1) (1980), 68-102. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9800510068. Details
• Wisdom, John, A History of Defence Science in Australia (Melbourne: Defence Science and Technology Organisation, 1995), 267 pp. Details