William Aitcheson Haswell facts for kids

William Aitcheson Haswell (born August 5, 1854 – died January 24, 1925) was a Scottish-Australian scientist. He studied animals, especially creatures like crabs and lobsters. He was a very important zoologist and won the Clarke Medal in 1915. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Early Life and Education

William Haswell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, James Haswell, was a banker. William went to the Edinburgh Institution for school.

He then studied at the University of Edinburgh. He was a brilliant student and won seven medals. He earned several degrees, including a Master of Arts (MA) and a Bachelor of Science (BSc). He also received a special scholarship for being the best science student. Some of his teachers were famous scientists like Thomas Henry Huxley. After finishing his studies, he traveled to Australia for his health.

His Work in Australia

William Haswell arrived in Sydney, Australia, in late 1878. He started working in a small lab that studied sea animals. There, he looked at collections from an expedition to New Guinea. He also studied the sea creatures living in Port Jackson and nearby areas.

In 1879, he joined the Linnean Society of New South Wales, a group for scientists. He quickly wrote five papers for their science journal. He worked for a short time at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane. In 1881, he collected more specimens along the coast of Queensland from a ship called HMS Alert.

Later, Sir William Macleay asked him to give public talks about zoology. In 1889, William Haswell became a professor of biology at the University of Sydney.

He was very interested in the animals living along the coast of New South Wales. He especially liked studying crustaceans (like crabs), Annelida (worms), and Bryozoa (tiny sea creatures). In 1882, he wrote a book about Australian crabs and lobsters. He also worked with other scientists to explore the ocean floor.

Important Books and Teaching

In 1898, William Haswell published his most famous book, A Text Book of Zoology. He wrote it with Thomas Jeffery Parker. This book was very long, over 1400 pages, but it was made for beginners. It became a very important textbook for students learning about animals. He updated it several times, and it was used in Australian universities for many years. He also wrote a shorter book called Manual of Zoology in 1899.

In 1913, the University of Sydney created a separate teaching position for botany (the study of plants). William Haswell then became the professor of zoology (the study of animals).

Later Life and Achievements

William Haswell retired from his teaching job at the end of 1917. He was given the title of "professor emeritus," which means he was an honorary professor. He kept doing his research until he passed away from heart disease in Sydney on January 24, 1925.

In 1894, he married Josephine Gordon. She helped him with his research. They had one daughter named Mary.

William Haswell was recognized for his scientific work. In 1897, he became a member of the Royal Society in London, which is a very important scientific group. In 1915, he received the Clarke Medal from the Royal Society of New South Wales. He wrote many scientific papers, with 74 of them appearing in the journal of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. He was a leader in this society for many years, even serving as its president. He also helped lead the Australian museum for 33 years.

William Haswell was a quiet person with a good sense of humor. He loved to go fly-fishing and play golf on his holidays. But mostly, he worked very hard. He collected his own research materials and made his own drawings. His Text-Book of Zoology was a fantastic book, clear and easy to understand. Many students in Great Britain, America, and Australia learned about zoology from his book. He was also a great teacher. When he died, four out of six universities in Australia had a professor of zoology or biology who had been his student.

A street in Canberra, Australia, called Haswell Place, is named after him.

Family

William Haswell married Josephine Gordon Rich in 1894 in New Zealand. Josephine had been a student of his colleague, TJ Parker. Even though she didn't publish her own scientific work after they married, she continued to help William with his research. They had one daughter, Mary.