List of presidents of the Royal Society facts for kids

The Royal Society's coat of arms.

The President of the Royal Society is the leader of a very old and famous group called the Royal Society. This person is chosen to lead meetings and guide the society. The Royal Society is also known as the Royal Society of London.

How the Royal Society Started

The Royal Society began on November 28, 1660. A group of smart people, including Christopher Wren, met and decided to create a "College for the Promoting of Mathematical Experimental Learning." This was a place to encourage new ideas and experiments in math and science.

King Charles II officially recognized the group on July 15, 1662. He gave them a special document called a Royal Charter, making them the "Royal Society of London." The first president chosen by the King was William Brouncker. The Charter also said that future presidents would be elected every year on November 30, which is St. Andrew's Day.

Changes Over Time

At first, there was no limit on how long a president could serve. Some presidents stayed for many years! In the past, wealthy people were sometimes chosen as presidents because they could help the society with money.

However, by the 1800s, people wanted presidents to be chosen for their scientific knowledge, not just their wealth. So, in 1847, the society decided that members would be chosen only for their scientific achievements. Since the 1870s, most presidents have served for exactly five years. Today, a president cannot serve for more than five years.

What the President Does

The President of the Royal Society has important jobs. They used to be one of the few people who could approve certain experiments on animals, making sure they were done properly. They also acted as an important advisor to the government on science matters.

Besides their official duties, the president also helps welcome important visitors and scientists from other countries. It's a mix of serious work and social events.

Modern Presidents

The change to a new president happens around November 30 each year. Many recent presidents have been very famous scientists. Since 1901, 18 of the 26 presidents have won a Nobel Prize for their amazing discoveries in physics, chemistry, or medicine. Many have also received a special honor called the Order of Merit.

The longest-serving president was Sir Joseph Banks, who led the Royal Society for 42 years, from 1778 to 1820. The current President is Sir Adrian Smith, who started his five-year term on November 30, 2020.

Presidents of the Royal Society

List of presidents of the Royal Society from 1662 – till date.

No.	Term	Portrait	President	Profession
1	1662–1677		William Brouncker, 2nd Viscount Brouncker	Mathematician
2	1677–1680		Sir Joseph Williamson	Civil servant and politician
3	1680–1682		Sir Christopher Wren	Architect, astronomer and physicist
4	1682–1683		Sir John Hoskyns, 2nd Baronet	Lawyer
5	1683–1684		Cyril Wyche	Lawyer, politician and administrator
6	1684–1686		Samuel Pepys	Civil servant and politician
7	1686–1689		John Vaughan, 3rd Earl of Carbery	Politician
8	1689–1690		Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke	Politician
9	1690–1695		Sir Robert Southwell	Diplomat
10	1695–1698		Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax	Poet and Statesman
11	1698–1703		John Somers, 1st Baron Somers	Jurist and Statesman
12	1703–1727		Sir Isaac Newton	Physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian
13	1727–1741		Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet	Physician and collector
14	1741–1752		Martin Folkes	Antiquarian
15	1752–1764		George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield	Astronomer
16	1764–1768		James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton	Astronomer
17	1768–1768		Sir James Burrow	Legal reporter
18	1768–1772		James West	Politician and antiquarian
19	1772–1772		Sir James Burrow	Legal reporter
20	1772–1778		Sir John Pringle, 1st Baronet	Physician
21	1778–1820		Sir Joseph Banks	Naturalist and botanist
22	1820-1820		William Hyde Wollaston	Chemist
23	1820–1827		Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet	Chemist and inventor
24	1827–1830		Davies Gilbert	Engineer, author and politician
25	1830–1838		Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex	Sixth son of George III of the United Kingdom
26	1838–1848		Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton	Nobleman
27	1848–1854		William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse	Astronomer
28	1854–1858		John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley	Astronomer
29	1858–1861		Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, 1st Baronet	Physiologist and surgeon
30	1861–1871		Sir Edward Sabine	Astronomer, geophysicist, ornithologist and explorer
31	1871–1873		Sir George Biddell Airy	Mathematician and Astronomer
32	1873–1878		Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker	Botanist and explorer
33	1878–1883		William H. Spottiswoode	Mathematician and physicist
34	1883–1885		Thomas Henry Huxley	Biologist
35	1885–1890		Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet	Mathematician and physicist
36	1890–1895		William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin	Mathematical physicist
37	1895–1900		Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister	Surgeon
38	1900–1905		Sir William Huggins	Astronomer
39	1905–1908		John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh	Physicist
40	1908–1913		Sir Archibald Geikie	Geologist and writer
41	1913–1915		Sir William Crookes	Chemist and physicist
42	1915–1920		Sir Joseph John Thomson	Physicist
43	1920–1925		Sir Charles Scott Sherrington	Neurophysiologist, histologist, bacteriologist, and pathologist
44	1925–1930		Sir Ernest Rutherford (later 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson)	Physicist and chemist
45	1930–1935		Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins	Biochemist
46	1935–1940		Sir William Henry Bragg	Physicist, chemist and mathematician
47	1940–1945		Sir Henry Hallett Dale	Pharmacologist and physiologist
48	1945–1950		Sir Robert Robinson	Organic chemist
49	1950–1955		Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian	Electrophysiologist
50	1955–1960		Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood	Physical chemist
51	1960–1965		Howard Florey, Baron Florey	Pharmacologist and pathologist
52	1965–1970		Patrick Blackett (Baron Blackett after 1969)	Physicist
53	1970–1975		Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin	Physiologist and Biophysicist
54	1975–1980		Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd	Biochemist
55	1980–1985		Sir Andrew Huxley	Physiologist and biophysicist
56	1985–1990		Sir George Porter (Baron Porter of Luddenham after 1990)	Chemist
57	1990–1995		Sir Michael Atiyah	Mathematician
58	1995–2000		Sir Aaron Klug	Chemist and biophysicist
59	2000–2005		Sir Robert May (Baron May of Oxford after 2001)	Mathematical Biologist
60	2005–2010		Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow	Cosmologist and astrophysicist
61	2010–2015		Sir Paul Nurse	Geneticist and cell biologist
62	2015–2020		Venki Ramakrishnan	Biophysicist
63	2020–present		Sir Adrian Smith	Statistician