Francis Balfour-Browne
William Alexander Francis Balfour-Browne FRSE FZS FLS PRMS (1874–1967), known as Frank,[1] was an English entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera, especially Dytiscidae (diving beetles).
Life and work
Balfour-Browne was born at 16 Ebury Street in London the son of John Hutton Balfour-Browne KC (d.1921) and Caroline Lush.[2]
He was educated at St Paul's School. Already as a child he was keenly interested in water beetles, and the group became the subject of his research throughout his life.[1] He studied botany at Magdalen College, Oxford, and was then called to the bar in 1898. He returned to Oxford to study zoology the following year.[3] From 1906 he taught biology at the Belfast College of the Royal University of Ireland (now known as Queen's University Belfast). In 1913 he became a lecturer in the University of Cambridge.
During the First World War he was a lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps.[4]
He was Professor of Entomology at Imperial College from 1925 to 1930. He was a friend of Robert Lloyd Praeger.
Balfour-Browne was the author of a Text-book of Practical Entomology, British Water Beetles published by the Ray Society, Concerning the Habits of Insects and many scientific papers, mainly on entomology.
Balfour-Browne was a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society.
He was an enthusiastic bicyclist; his cycle was maintained by the founder of Morris Motors Limited, William Morris, who later became Lord Nuffield.[1]
He died in Edinburgh on 28 September 1967.[5]
Family
He married Elizabeth Lochhead Carslaw in 1902.[6]
His son John was also an entomologist, who became a Principal Scientific Officer at the Natural History Museum, London.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 Gay, Hannah (2007). The History of Imperial College London, 1907-2007: Higher Education and Research in Science, Technology and Medicine. Imperial College Press. p. 175.
- ↑ http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
- ↑ "BALFOUR-BROWNE, Professor William Alexander Francis (1874-1967)". Archives Hub. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ↑ http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
- ↑ http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
- ↑ http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
- ↑ "Browne; John William Alexander Francis Balfour-". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
Sources
- Angus, R. B. 1967: [Balfour-Browne, W. A. F.] Entomologist's Monthly Magazine (3), London 103:286-288, Portrait