George Johnstone Stoney, F. R. S. and the concept of the electron

Abstract

George Johnstone Stoney (1826-1911) was Secretary to the Queen’s University in Ireland—the forerunner of the National University of Ireland—from 1857 until 1882, and he devoted the greater part of his career to administration in education. He is remembered today for his scientific work begun during his life in Dublin and continued after retirement to London in 1893. Stoney’s scientific work ranged over many branches of physical science including physical optics, solar physics and astronomy, atmospheric physics, acoustics and molecular physics (1). One hundred years ago he determined the charge of the atom or particle of electricity, and he later proposed the name ‘electron’ for this quantity. This, and related work on the kinetic theory of gases and spectroscopy, was his most conspicuous achievement.