F. Napier Denison

Francis "Frank" Napier Denison (cited as F. Napier Denison, 19 April 1866 – 24 June 1946) was a Canadian meteorologist, inventor, seismologist, and astronomer. In the early 20th century he was known to thousands of Victoria's inhabitants as "our weatherman". His most noteworthy invention is perhaps the hydro-aerograph.

Biography Formation and first assignment After graduation from Upper Canada College, he became in 1882 a member of Canada's Dominion Meteorological Service (now Meteorological Service of Canada) and was appointed in 1884 an assistant observer at the Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory. the Dominion Meteorological Service transferred him in 1898 to Victoria as weather observer and forecaster. at the weather observing station located on Government Street in Victoria Harbour's Inner Harbour.

Reed, the senior scientist, and Denison were the coauthors of Victoria's first official weather report. In the spring of 1899 the two meteorologists began to issue marine warnings. Eventually, the weather forecasts were issued by wireless telegraphy to ships in the Pacific, and the ships returned information about the weather conditions encountered at sea.

Victoria's Observatory Denison petitioned Canada's federal government to build an observatory on Victoria Harbour's Gonzales Hill, where a radio-telegraph station existed at the time of the petition. Working for the Canada Department of Public Works, the architect William Henderson, in consultation with Denison, designed the new station to provide seismological and astronomical services for western Canada. For use in the dome on the structure, Denison acquired a 5-inch equatorial telescope and made it available for supervised use by the public. In April 1914, the government officially opened the new station. When E. Baynes Reed died in 1916, Denison was appointed director of meteorological services for British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. For a few years, the Gonzales Hill Observatory was the primary source of scientifically accurate time west of the Canadian Rockies.

Denison’s observatory became far less important due to the 1918 completion of Saanich's Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, which at the time of its 1918 opening housed the largest telescope in the world. However, Denison continued steadily working at his station and did not take a holiday in over 20 years. During his career, the station was rated as western Canada's best weather office. a seismograph for use in mine safety, and a device to remove dust from hospital cabinets.

Denison Road at Victoria's Gonzalez Hill Observatory is named in his honour. The island was named in 1903 by the Geographic Board of Canada.

Selected publications

online text

6 pages, published circa 1918?

online text, archive.org

(follow-up to 1913 paper)