James Charles Philip

James Charles Philip OBE FRS (12 February 1873 - 6 August 1941) was a British physical chemist.

Early life and education Philip was born in Fordoun, Kincardineshire on 12 February 1873 to Reverend John Philip and Janet Philip, née Morison Littlejohn, the youngest of five sons. From the ages of 13 to 16 he studied at Aberdeen Grammar School, and then enrolled at the University of Aberdeen, attaining a first-class MA in mathematics and natural philosophy by the age of 20. He then switched to chemistry, attaining a BSc in 1895 under the tutelage of Francis Japp. Following this, Philip traveled to Germany on a Murray Scholarship and studied under Walther Nernst in Göttingen, and was awarded a PhD in 1897 for a thesis entitled "Dielectric properties of liquid mixtures, particularly dilute solutions". but soon returned as Deputy Rector of the college, under Rector Sir Henry Tizard.

In July 1941, shortly before his death, Philip received an honorary LLD from the University of Aberdeen.

Personal life Philip was known as an able tennis player and for his fine singing voice. He married Jane Henderson in 1900, and had a son, W. Elmslie Philip who became Secretary of Education for Devon, and a daughter. He was an elder of St John's Presbyterian Church, Kensington, for 36 years.