William Lewis

William Henry Lewis (17 May 1869 – 25 May 1963) was a British chemist, known for being Professor of Chemistry and Vice-principal at the University of Exeter in its early days. He was dubbed "one of the founding fathers" of the university in his obituary in the journal Nature.

Early life and education Lewis was born on 17 May 1869 in Oystermouth, part of the Welsh historic county Glamorgan. He was educated at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (as it was then known), In 1890, he matriculated at Jesus College, Oxford, where he was a scholar and where he also worked as a lecture assistant of the Chemistry Research Laboratory. Lewis graduated from Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Natural Science.

Career After graduating from Oxford, Lewis was a science master at Exeter School from 1894 to 1901, Among Lewis's students at the college was George Roger Clemo, who was greatly influenced by Lewis and went on to become a successful organic chemist.

From 1925 until his retirement in 1935, he combined his position as Professor with that of Vice-Principal of the College, helping to publicise the institution throughout Devon. In his role as Professor, he was regarded as having built up the chemistry department from nothing into a "strong and vital unit." He was responsible for the planning of the Washington Singer Building, which opened in 1931 for new chemical laboratories. The Washington Singer Building was opened in 1931 as chemical laboratories, during Lewis's tenure as head of Chemistry at Exeter. Lewis was an active member of the scientific community. He was elected as fellow of the Chemical Society in 1894, with his candidacy endorsed by his former lecturer Henry Lloyd Snape as well as former classmate and collaborator Frederick Daniel Chattaway. Lewis was also the local representative of the Chemical Society in Exeter from 1932 to 1936. Later in his scientific career, one of Lewis's areas of interest was river pollution. He was credited in Aubrey Strahan's report to the Royal Geographical Society in 1908 for supporting the research of impurities in the River Exe.

Lewis was credited with having an instrumental role in establishing the Committee for the Furtherance of University Education in the South-West with his Exeter colleagues, Professors Walter J. Harte (1866-1954) and Arthur Eustace Morgan (1886-1972).

Lewis was made Professor Emeritus on his retirement in 1935 Chattaway and Lewis also collaborated on many research papers during their careers.

He died on 25 May 1963 in Sidmouth, Devon, aged 94.

Selected publications