John Frederick William Herschel was born in Slough, England on 7 March 1792, the son of the renowned astronomer, William Herschel. He studied at St. John's College, Cambridge and on graduation in 1813, was elected to fellowships at St. John's and the Royal Society of London. The following year he entered the legal profession as a student but gave up his training after eighteen months. He began to undertake work in chemistry and astronomy, taking an active part in the foundation of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1820. He was elected President of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1827, and was knighted in 1831. Having failed narrowly to be elected President of the Royal Society, Herschel then decided to travel with his family to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in 1833, where a Royal Observatory had been established. Among the many important scientific advances made by Herschel in South Africa were his observations of Halley's Comet on its return in 1835. In 1838, Herschel returned to England where the promotion of a scheme for widespread magnetic observations mainly devolved upon him. He drew up a memorial to government on the subject, composed the instructions for the British Naval Expedition, 1839-1843 (leader James Clark Ross), and reported progress year after year at successive meetings of the British Association. In the following years, he became interested in photography, publishing a number of papers on the subject from 1839 to 1842 and producing the first example of a photograph on glass in 1843. He became rector of Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1842 and served as president of the British Association in Cambridge in 1845. His observations in South Africa were finally published in 1847 in a large quarto volume entitled Results of Astronomical Observations made during the years 1834-1838 at the Cape of Good Hope . He received his second Copley Medal from the Royal Society for this work. In 1850, he accepted the post of Master of the Mint, with the responsibility for its reorganization. Resigning in 1855, he retired to his home, Collingwood, in Hawkhurst, Kent where he died on 11 May 1871.
From the guide to the Sir John Herschel collection, 1838-1839, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871), 1st Baronet and astronomer, was born at Slough, Buckinghamshire, on 7 March 1792. He matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge, in 1809 (B.A., 1813; M.A., 1816), where he was a Fellow, 1813-1829, and was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1814. Herschel helped to found the Analytical Society in Cambridge, and also the Royal Astronomical Society, of which he was president, 1827-1832. He lived in South Africa, 1833-1838, and in 1847 published the results of his astronomical observations at the Cape of Good Hope. His other publications include Outlines of astronomy (1849) and many mathematical works. He was created baronet in 1838, and died at Collingwood, Hawkhurst, Kent, on 11 May 1871.
From the guide to the Sir John Herschel: Poems, 19th century, (Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives)
