John Fletcher Moulton
Encyclopedia
John Fletcher Moulton, Baron Moulton, GBE
KCB
QC
PC
FRAS
FRS
(18 November 1844–9 March 1921) was an English mathematician
, barrister and judge.
, Shropshire
, England
as one of six children of a scholarly minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Church
, James Egan Moulton
. He was sent to Kingswood School
at the age of 11 where he excelled at academic subjects. He achieved the top marks in the Oxford and Cambridge Local Examinations and achieved a scholarship to St John's College, Cambridge
, graduating Senior Wrangler in 1868 and winning the Smith's Prize
. He was at one point judged to be one of the twelve most intelligent men in the United Kingdom
.
Moulton became a Liberal Party
Member of Parliament
backing Gladstone
attempts to solve difficulties in Ireland
through Irish Home Rule. In 1906 Moulton was made Lord Justice on the Court of Appeal
and Privy Counsellor
. In 1912 he entered the House of Lords
with a life peerage and the title Baron Moulton, of Bank
in the County of Hampshire
.
However it was with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 that saw Lord Moulton achieve his greatest success. In 1914 he became chairman of a committee to advise on the supply of explosives and this soon became an integral part of the British war effort with Moulton eventually becoming Director-General of the Explosives Department. In 1917 Moulton was given the task of producing poisonous gasses. Although loyal to orders, Moulton often reflected that he believed such a mode of conflict to be a departure from civilised warfare.
Lord Moulton worked a ten-hour day and took less than ten days holiday throughout the entire four years of the war. He also personally visited every munitions factory. He was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, the Etoile Noir of France, the Order of Leopold (Belgium) and was the last person to receive the Order of the White Eagle before the collapse of the Russian monarchy.
Moulton held also correspondence with Charles Darwin
.
He died in London on 9 March 1921. He was the father of Hugh Moulton
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
PC
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
FRAS
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
FRS
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"...
(18 November 1844–9 March 1921) was an English mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, barrister and judge.
Early life
He was born in MadeleyMadeley
-People:* Anna Madeley , actress* Chloe Madeley , television presenter* Darrin Madeley , ice hockey player* Keith Madeley, businessman* Paul Madeley , footballer* Richard Madeley , television presenter...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as one of six children of a scholarly minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Church
Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was the name used by the major Methodist movement in Great Britain following its split from the Church of England after the death of John Wesley and the appearance of parallel Methodist movements...
, James Egan Moulton
James Egan Moulton
James Egan Moulton was an English born Australian Methodist minister and headmaster and school president.-Early life:...
. He was sent to Kingswood School
Kingswood School
Kingswood School, referred to as 'Kingswood', is an independent day and boarding school located in Bath, Somerset, England. The school is coeducational and educates some 950 children aged 3 to 18. It is notable for being founded by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1748...
at the age of 11 where he excelled at academic subjects. He achieved the top marks in the Oxford and Cambridge Local Examinations and achieved a scholarship to St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, graduating Senior Wrangler in 1868 and winning the Smith's Prize
Smith's Prize
The Smith's Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually to two research students in theoretical Physics, mathematics and applied mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.- History :...
. He was at one point judged to be one of the twelve most intelligent men in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Career
A Fellow of the Royal Society, Moulton was a great advocate for medical research as well as being a practising London barrister. He was awarded the French Legion of Honour for his work in establishing international co-operation in terms of the measurement of electrical quantities.Moulton became a Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
backing Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
attempts to solve difficulties in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
through Irish Home Rule. In 1906 Moulton was made Lord Justice on the Court of Appeal
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom above it...
and Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
. In 1912 he entered the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
with a life peerage and the title Baron Moulton, of Bank
Bank, Hampshire
Bank is a hamlet in the English county of Hampshire. The settlement is within the civil parish of Lyndhurst in the New Forest, and is located approximately from both Ringwood and Southampton. It has one inn and approximately 30 distinct dwellings.-Overview:...
in the County of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
However it was with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 that saw Lord Moulton achieve his greatest success. In 1914 he became chairman of a committee to advise on the supply of explosives and this soon became an integral part of the British war effort with Moulton eventually becoming Director-General of the Explosives Department. In 1917 Moulton was given the task of producing poisonous gasses. Although loyal to orders, Moulton often reflected that he believed such a mode of conflict to be a departure from civilised warfare.
Lord Moulton worked a ten-hour day and took less than ten days holiday throughout the entire four years of the war. He also personally visited every munitions factory. He was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, the Etoile Noir of France, the Order of Leopold (Belgium) and was the last person to receive the Order of the White Eagle before the collapse of the Russian monarchy.
Moulton held also correspondence with Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
.
He died in London on 9 March 1921. He was the father of Hugh Moulton
Hugh Moulton
Hugh Lawrence Fletcher Moulton MC was a British Liberal politician.The son of John Fletcher Moulton, Baron Moulton, he was a barrister by profession. At the 1923 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Salisbury in Wiltshire, but was defeated at the 1924 election...
.
Styles
- Mr John Moulton (1844-1885)
- Mr John Moulton QC (1885-1906)
- Sir John Moulton QC (1906-1906)
- The Rt. Hon. Sir John Moulton QC (1906-1912)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord Moulton QC PC (1912-?)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord Moulton GBE KCB QC PC FRAS FRS (?-1921)
External links
- Speech, from John SilberJohn SilberJohn Robert Silber is an American academician and former candidate for public office. From 1971 to 1996 he was President of Boston University and from 1996 to 2003 Chancellor of the University. Since 2003 he has been its President Emeritus. In 1990, Silber took a leave of absence from the...
about John Fletcher Moulton (1995) - Notes Rec. R. Soc. 20 December 2009 vol. 63 no. 4 355-363, "John Fletcher Moulton and Guglielmo Marconi: bridging science, Law and industry
- Science and War (Rede Lecture, 1919)