J. Norman Collie
Encyclopedia
John Norman Collie FRS
(10 September 1859 – 1 November 1942), commonly referred to as J. Norman Collie, was a British scientist, mountaineer
, and explorer.
. The family money had been made in the cotton trade, but in 1875 the American Civil War resulted in their financial ruin when their American stock was burnt. Collie had to leave Charterhouse and transfer to Clifton College
, Bristol where he realised he was completely unsuited for the classics. He attended University College
in Bristol and developed an interest in chemistry.
He earned a PhD in chemistry under Johannes Wislicenus
at Würzburg in 1884. Returning to England, he taught three years at Cheltenham Ladies College before joining University College London
(UCL) as an assistant to William Ramsay
. His early work was the study of phosphonium and phosphine derivatives and allied ammonium compounds. Later he made important contributions to the knowledge of dehydracetic acid, describing a number of very remarkable 'condensations,' whereby it is converted into pyridine, ocinol and naphthalene derivatives.
Collie served as Professor of Organic Chemistry at UCL from 1896 to 1913, and headed its chemistry department from 1913 to 1928. He performed important research that led to the taking of the first x-ray
for diagnosing medical conditions. According to Bentley, Collie "worked with Ramsay on the inert gases, constructed the first neon lamp, proposed a dynamic structure for benzene
, and discovered the first oxonium
salt."
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1896.
was mountaineering. Among mountaineers, he is perhaps best remembered for his pioneering climbs on the Cuillin
in the Isle of Skye, but he also climbed in the English Lake District and in the Alps with William Cecil Slingsby
and Albert F. Mummery
.
In 1895, Collie, Mummery, and fellow climber Geoffrey Hastings went to the Himalaya Range for the world's first attempt at a Himalayan 8000-metre peak, Nanga Parbat
. They were years ahead of their time, and the mountain claimed the first of its many victims: Mummery and two Gurkha
s, Ragobir and Goman Singh were killed by an avalanche
and never seen again. The story of this disastrous expedition is told in Collie's book, From the Himalaya to Skye.
After gaining climbing experience on the Alps
, the Caucasus
, and the Himalaya, in 1897 Collie joined the Appalachian Club upon the invitation of Charles Fay
, and spent the summer climbing in the Canadian Rockies
. From 1898 to 1911, Collie visited the Canadian Rockies five more times, accomplishing twenty-one first ascent
s and naming more than thirty peaks. He was particularly interested in locating and climbing the mythical giants of Hooker and Brown
which had bordered the forgotten fur trade route through the Rockies and were reputed to be over 16,000 feet high. In 1903, Collie and Hugh Stutfield published an authoritative book on the region, Climbs and Explorations in the Canadian Rockies.
Collie died in 1942 from pneumonia
after falling into Storr Loch on a day of fishing. He is interred in an old graveyard at Struan
by Bracadale
.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(10 September 1859 – 1 November 1942), commonly referred to as J. Norman Collie, was a British scientist, mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, and explorer.
Life and work
He was born in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, the second of four sons. In 1870 the family moved to Clifton, near Bristol and John was educated initially at Windlesham in Surrey and then in 1873 at Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
. The family money had been made in the cotton trade, but in 1875 the American Civil War resulted in their financial ruin when their American stock was burnt. Collie had to leave Charterhouse and transfer to Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
, Bristol where he realised he was completely unsuited for the classics. He attended University College
University College, Bristol
University College, Bristol was an educational institution which existed from 1876 to 1909. It was the predecessor institution to the University of Bristol, which gained a Royal Charter in 1909...
in Bristol and developed an interest in chemistry.
He earned a PhD in chemistry under Johannes Wislicenus
Johannes Wislicenus
Johannes Wislicenus was a German chemist, most famous for his work in early stereochemistry.-Biography:...
at Würzburg in 1884. Returning to England, he taught three years at Cheltenham Ladies College before joining University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
(UCL) as an assistant to William Ramsay
William Ramsay
Sir William Ramsay was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air" .-Early years:Ramsay was born in Glasgow on 2...
. His early work was the study of phosphonium and phosphine derivatives and allied ammonium compounds. Later he made important contributions to the knowledge of dehydracetic acid, describing a number of very remarkable 'condensations,' whereby it is converted into pyridine, ocinol and naphthalene derivatives.
Collie served as Professor of Organic Chemistry at UCL from 1896 to 1913, and headed its chemistry department from 1913 to 1928. He performed important research that led to the taking of the first x-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
for diagnosing medical conditions. According to Bentley, Collie "worked with Ramsay on the inert gases, constructed the first neon lamp, proposed a dynamic structure for benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
, and discovered the first oxonium
Oxonium ion
The oxonium ion in chemistry is any oxygen cation with three bonds. The simplest oxonium ion is the hydronium ion H3O+. Another oxonium ion frequently encountered in organic chemistry is obtained by protonation or alkylation of a carbonyl group e.g...
salt."
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1896.
Mountaineering
Collie's professional career was spent as a scientist but his avocationAvocation
An avocation is an activity that one engages in as a hobby outside one's main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside of their workplaces were their true passions in life...
was mountaineering. Among mountaineers, he is perhaps best remembered for his pioneering climbs on the Cuillin
Cuillin
This article is about the Cuillin of Skye. See Rùm for the Cuillin of Rùm.The Cuillin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The true Cuillin are also known as the Black Cuillin to distinguish them from the Red Hills across Glen Sligachan...
in the Isle of Skye, but he also climbed in the English Lake District and in the Alps with William Cecil Slingsby
William Cecil Slingsby
William Cecil Slingsby was an English mountain climber and alpine explorer.Slingsby first visited Norway in 1872 and fell in love with the country. He has been called the discoverer of the Norwegian mountains, and the father of Norwegian mountaineering...
and Albert F. Mummery
Albert F. Mummery
Albert Frederick Mummery , was an English mountaineer and author. Although most notable for his many and varied first ascents put up in the Alps, Mummery, along with J...
.
In 1895, Collie, Mummery, and fellow climber Geoffrey Hastings went to the Himalaya Range for the world's first attempt at a Himalayan 8000-metre peak, Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters...
. They were years ahead of their time, and the mountain claimed the first of its many victims: Mummery and two Gurkha
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
s, Ragobir and Goman Singh were killed by an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
and never seen again. The story of this disastrous expedition is told in Collie's book, From the Himalaya to Skye.
After gaining climbing experience on the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, and the Himalaya, in 1897 Collie joined the Appalachian Club upon the invitation of Charles Fay
Charles Ernest Fay
Professor Charles Ernest Fay was an American Alpinist, born at Roxbury, Massachusetts. He graduated in 1868 at Tufts College and became instructor in mathematics there in 1869, and professor of modern languages in 1871...
, and spent the summer climbing in the Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
. From 1898 to 1911, Collie visited the Canadian Rockies five more times, accomplishing twenty-one first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
s and naming more than thirty peaks. He was particularly interested in locating and climbing the mythical giants of Hooker and Brown
Hooker and Brown
Hooker and Brown are two mythical mountains, once reputed to lie on the great Divide of the Canadian Rockies in Jasper National Park, bordering the Athabasca Pass, the old passage for the fur trade...
which had bordered the forgotten fur trade route through the Rockies and were reputed to be over 16,000 feet high. In 1903, Collie and Hugh Stutfield published an authoritative book on the region, Climbs and Explorations in the Canadian Rockies.
Collie died in 1942 from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
after falling into Storr Loch on a day of fishing. He is interred in an old graveyard at Struan
Struan
Struan is a small village situated on the west coast of the island of Skye, on the shores of Loch Beag, itself an inlet of Loch Harport. "Struan" is the anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic word sruthan, meaning "small stream", or the flow at the point where a spring appears.It has a...
by Bracadale
Bracadale
Bracadale is a settlement and parish on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It lies on the west coast of the island, west-south-west of Portree, on Loch Beag, an inlet off Loch Harport. Nearby settlements include Struan to the west and Coillore on the opposite shore of Loch Beag....
.
Honours and affiliations
- Fellow of the Royal Society (1896)
- Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (1897)
- President of the Alpine ClubAlpine Club (UK)The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
(1920–1922) - Member of the Mount Everest CommitteeMount Everest CommitteeThe Mount Everest Committee was a body formed by the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society to co-ordinate and finance the 1921 British Reconnaissance Expedition to Mount Everest and all subsequent British expeditions to climb the mountain until 1947...
(1921) - Mount CollieMount CollieMount Collie is a mountain in Yoho National Park, located on the western boundary of the Wapta Icefield in Canada. The mountain was named in 1897 by Charles S. Thompson after J. Norman Collie, an accomplished mountaineer and early explorer of the Canadian Rockies.-External links:* - photos...
in Yoho National ParkYoho National ParkYoho National Park is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide in southeastern British Columbia. Yoho NP is bordered by Kootenay National Park on the southern side and Banff National Park on the eastern side...
and Sgurr Thormaid (Norman's Peak) on the Isle of Skye were both named after Norman Collie.