Hamlet, William Mogford (1850 - 1931)

Summary

William Hamlet trained as a chemist at the Bristol Trade and Mining School and the Royal College of Chemistry in England and worked in for several companies and in South America before migrating to Australia for health reasons in 1884. In 1887 he became Government Analyst in the New South Wales Department of Health overseeing the legislative standards for foodstuffs, water, drugs and medical preparations. Among the Government boards of inquiry of which he was a member were those on Anthrax and lead poisoning in Broken Hill. Hamlet became a notable public figure because of his forensic work in criminal cases and his public lectures on diet. He was an active participant in the Royal Society of New South Wales, published widely in its and other scientific journals, and in the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science.

Details

Chronology

1875 - ?

Award - Fellow, Chemical Society of London

1881 - 1882

Career position - Chemist, Sara Creek Gold Mining Co., Suriname

1884

Career position - Lecturer in chemistry, New South Wales Board of Technological Education

February 1884

Life event - Arrived in New South Wales

1885 - 1887

Career position - Assistant to the Government Analyst, New South Wales Department of Health

1887 - 1915

Career position - Government Analyst, New South Wales Department of Health

1888 - ?

Award - Fellow, Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland

1888 -

Career event - Original [founding] member, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science

1891 - 1897

Career position - Member of Council, Royal Society of New South Wales

1892

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

1892

Career position - Member of Board of inquiry into lead poisoning in Broken Hill

1898

Career position - Member of Council, and Secretary of Section B, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science

1899

Career position - President, Royal Society of New South Wales

1908

Career position - President, Royal Society of New South Wales

1912 - 1914

Career position - Member of Councillor, Royal Society of New South Wales

1915

Life event - Retired

1919 - ?

Career position - In private practice as analytical and consulting chemist

Related entries

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• Collins, David, Chemistry in 19th Australia - Select Bibliography, An exhibition of the Encyclopedia circa 2005 with assistance from Ailie Smith and Gavan McCarthy., eScholarship Research Centre (original publisher), Melbourne, 2009, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/ciab/ciab_ALL.html. Details

Books

• McKern, Howard, William Mogford Hamlet 1850-1931 (Sydney: Howard Hamlet Gordon McKern, 1995), 75 pp. Details

Book Sections

• McKern, H.H.G., 'Hamlet, William Mogford (1850-1931), Chemist and Bushwalker' in Australian dictionary of biography: supplement 1580 - 1980, with a name index to the Australian dictionary of biography to 1980, Christopher Cunneen, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2005), pp. 163-164. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/AS10204b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Hamlet, W.M., 'On the Presence of Fusel Oil in Beer', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 21 (1887), 233-246. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'On the Presence of Fusel Oil in Beer', The Chemical News and Journal of Physical Science, 58 (1888), 81-83, 87-90. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'On the Occurrence of Arabin in the Prickly Pear, (Opuntia Braziliensis)', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 23 (1889), 325. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'On the Action of Metallic Salts in the Development of Aspergillus nigrescens', Report of the first meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 (1889), 325-326, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15813415. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'On the Action of the Nepean Water on Tubes and Boiler Plates, with Some Remarks on Corrosion Generally', Report of the first meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 (1889), 193-195, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15813281. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'The Analysis of Prickly Pear', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 23 (1889), 324-325. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'Science for selectors. I. Wine-making', The Spectrum: An Australian Journal of Science, 1 (1891), 28-29; to be contd. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'On the Constitution of the Sugar Series', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 25 (1891), 164-167. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'President's address to Section B, Chemistry, AANZAS,', The Chemical News and Journal of Physical Science, 65 (1892), 172-175, 187-188. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'On a New Blowpipe Arrangement', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 26 (1892), 176-177. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'Presidential address in Section B: Chemistry and Mineralogy', Report of the fourth meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 4 (1893), 48-63, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15558511. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'The Oleo-Refractometer in Organic Analysis', Report of the fourth meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 4 (1893), 262-263, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15558725. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'The Interpretation of Cement Analyses, Including a New Method of Recording Results', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 28 (1894), 267-274. Details
• Hamlet, W.M., 'The Molecular Mechanism of an Electrolyte', Report of the seventh meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 7 (1898), 273, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15378239. Details
• Hamlet, W.M. (editorial about), 'Appointment', The Chemical News and Journal of Physical Science, 50 (1888), 154. Details
• Hamlet, W.M.; Hector, Sir James; Jack, R.L.; Lindon, E.B.; Masson, D.O.; Rule, O.R.; Skey, W.; Wilkinson, C.S.; Liversidge, A., 'Mineral Census of Australasia: Report of Committee No. 7. Minerals of New South Wales', Report of the second meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 2 (1890), 205-216, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14563183. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21539541. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/121267742. Details
• Early Chemists of Sydney, 2006, http://members.optusnet.com.au/jph8524/McKern.htm. Details
• 'Hamlet, William Mogford (18500820-19311118)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1464462. Details

See also

• Cheel, Edwin, 'Presidential address', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 66 (1) (1932), 1-55. Details