Person

Lightfoot, Gerald (1877 - 1966)

FRSS

Born
3 May 1877
Walker, Northumberland, England
Died
1 June 1966
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Public servant and Science administrator

Summary

Gerald Lightfoot was Secretary of the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) from 1926 to 1944. He also established their first scientific bibliographic reference service and was the founding editor of the Journal of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Prior to this, Lightfoot had worked with the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, the Advisory Council of Science and Industry and was Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Science and Industry. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society (FRSS) in 1915.

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Details

Chronology

1898
Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Cambridge, UK
1902 - 1906
Career position - Called to the Bar of the Middle Temple, UK
1906
Life event - Migrated to Australia (Melbourne?)
1907 - 1916
Career position - Draftsman and Computer, Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics
1912
Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Cambridge, UK
1914 - 1916
Career position - Lecturer in Economics and Industrial Law, University of Melbourne
1915 -
Award - Fellow, Royal Statistical Society (FRSS)
1916
Career position - Overseas trip with the Advisory Council of Science and Industry, USA and UK
August 1916 - c. September 1919
Career position - Secretary to the executive committee of the Advisory Council of Science and Industry
1920 -
Career position - Member, Commonwealth Prickly Pear Board
1921 -
Career position - Foundation Councillor (Economics and Statistics), Australian National Research Council
c. 1921 - c. 1926
Career position - Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Science and Industry
1923 - 1924
Career position - Editor, Proceedings of the Pan-Pacific Science Congress, Australia, Australian National Research Council
1926 - 1944
Career position - Secretary of CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
1927 - 1930
Career position - Founding Editor, Journal of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
1929
Career position - Visits to North America, Britain and Europe for CSIR
1937
Career position - Visits to North America, Britain and Europe for CSIR
c. 1942 - 1947
Career position - Retired, but kept on as a consultant to CSIR

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Books

  • Currie, George; Graham, John, The Origins of CSIRO: Science and the Commonwealth Government, 1901-1926 (Melbourne: CSIRO, 1966), 203 pp. Details

Book Sections

Edited Books

  • Lightfoot, Gerald ed., Proceedings of the Pan-Pacific Science Congress, Australia, 1923 : Melbourne Meeting 13th to 22nd August, 1923, Sydney Meeting 23rd to 3rd September, 1923 (Melbourne: Australian National Research Council, 1924), i-xix, 1-1677 pp. Details

Reports

  • Advisory Council of Science and Industry, Resolutions passed by the Advisory Council, July 1917, together with, Report and recommendations on the organization and work of the proposed permanent Institute of Science and Industry (Melbourne: Government of Australia, 1917), 10 pp. Details
  • Lightfoot, Gerald, Memorandum on the organization of scientific research institutions in the United States of America (Melbourne: Government of Australia, 1916), 42 pp. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2611917477. Details

Resources

See also

  • Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_l.html. Details
  • Wisdom, John, A History of Defence Science in Australia (Melbourne: Defence Science and Technology Organisation, 1995), 267 pp. Details

McCarthy, G.J.

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 30 January 2024

EOAS ID: biogs/P001256b.htm

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