Woolley, Richard van der Riet (1906 - 1986)

Summary

Richard Woolley was Director of the Mount Stromlo Observatory 1939-1955, Astronomer Royal, United Kingdom 1956-1971 and Director of the South African Astronomical Observatory 1972-1976. He was an early and consistent advocate for the Anglo-Australian telescope.

Details

Chronology

1928

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

c. 1929

Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Cape Town

1929 - 1931

Career position - Commonwealth Fund Fellowship, Mt Wilson Observatory, California

1931

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Cambridge

1931 - 1933

Career position - Isaac Newton Student, University of Cambridge

1933 - 1937

Career position - Chief Assistant, Royal Observatory, Greenwich

1937 - 1939

Career position - John Couch Adams Astronomer, University of Cambridge

1939 - 1955

Career position - Director, Mount Stromlo Observatory

1950 - 1955

Career position - Professor of Astronomy, Australian National University

1951

Education - Doctor of Science (ScD), University of Cambridge

1953

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

1953

Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - Commonwealth Astronomer

1953 - 1986

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

1955

Award - Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne

1955

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

1956

Award - Scott Lectureship in Physics, University of Cambridge

1956 - 1971

Career position - Astronomer Royal, UK

1963

Award - Knight Bachelor (Kt)

1963 - 1965

Career position - President, Royal Astronomical Society

1971

Award - Gold Medal, Royal Astronomical Society

1972 - 1976

Career position - Inaugural Director, South African Astronomical Observatory

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Richard van der Riet Woolley - Records, July 1927, MS 194; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. 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
• The Giant's Eye: the Optical Munitions Exhibition, Australian Science Archives Project, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/omp/omp.htm. Details
• Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, 2012, http://www.eoas.info/basser_browse.html. Details

Books

• Ophel, Trevor and Jenkin, John, Fire in the Belly: the First Fifty Years of the Pioneer School at the ANU (Canberra: Research School of Physical Science and Engineering, Institute of Advanced Studies, ANU, 1996), 157 pp. Details
• Woolley, Richard van der Riet, The Longest Tyranny: an Inaugural Lecture Delivered at Canberra on 28 July 1955 (Canberra: Australian National University, 1955), 27 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• Davies, Susan, 'R. v.d. R. Wooley in Australia', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (1) (1984), 59-69. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9840610059. Details
• Gascoigne, S. C. B., 'Bok, Woolley and Australian Astronomy', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (2) (1992), 119-126. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920920119. Details
• Gasgoigne, S. C. B., 'Astrophysics at Mount Stromlo: the Woolley era', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 5 (1984), 597-605. Details
• Hyland, A. R.; and Faulkner, D. J., 'From the Sun to Universe - the Woolley and Bok Directorships at Mount Stromlo', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 8 (2) (1989), 216-228. Details
• McCrea, S. W., 'Richard van der Reit Woolley 1906-86', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (3) (1988), 315-345. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9880730315. Details
• Woolley, Richard van der Riet, 'Mount Stromlo Observatory', Records of the Australian Academy of Science, 1 (3) (1968), 53-57. http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9680130053.htm. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2397435. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/163142080. Details
• 'Woolley, Richard Van Der Riet (19060424-19861224)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1475623. Details
• 'Awarded honorary LLD, 1955', Honorary degree holders, University of Melbourne, 2023, https://about.unimelb.edu.au/notable-alumni-staff/honorary-degree-holders. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Woolley, Richard van der Reit', 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/P000915p.htm. Details
• 'Woolley, Richard van der Riet', in The Giant's Eye: the Optical Munitions Exhibition, A Bright Sparcs Exhibition, Australian Science Archives Project, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/omp/people/woolley.htm. Details
• McCrea, William, 'Richard van der Riet Woolley 1906-86', in Australian Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs, Australian Academy of Science, 2006, https://www.science.org.au/fellowship/fellows/biographical-memoirs/richard-van-der-riet-woolley-1906-1986. 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_w.html. Details
• Bhathal, Ragbir, 'How Mount Stromlo Observatory shed its imperial beginnings', A&G: News and Reviews in Astronomy & Geophysics, 55 (6) (2014), 6.33-6.35. 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
• Mellor, D.P., 'Optical Munitions', Chapter 12 in Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 4: Civil, volume 5 'The Role of Science and Industry', Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1958 (1958). http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/mellor.htm. Details
• Sherratt, Tim; Condé, Anne-Marie, A Wartime Observatory Observed - the Mount Stromlo Community, 1940-1945, Australian Science Archives Project, Canberra, 1994, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/pubs/articles/tps/tps_stromlo_draft.htm. Details