P000122 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human McCarthy, G.J. & Rosanne Walker updated 2024-10-16 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000122b.htm person Legge William Vincent AACR2 2 September 1841 25 March 1918 Place of Birth Cullenswood, Tasmania, Australia Place of Death Cullenswood, Tasmania, Australia Ornithologist Soldier William Legge was founder of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union and its first president (1901-1903). He was also a Colonial Member of the British Ornithologists' Union and Honorary Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union. Legge was a keen collector of bird skins which he presented to the Hobart Museum in 1902 and wrote History of the Birds of Ceylon (1880) and Systematic List of Tasmanian Birds (1887). He also assisted in the compilation of the List of Vernacular Names for Australian Birds which was presented at the Sydney session of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science.

Educated in Bath, England, France and Germany, William Legge was later commissioned in the Royal Artillery 1862. He was initially stationed at Dover from 1862-67 and then served with the imperial troops in Melbourne (1867-68) and Ceylon (1869-77). While in Ceylon, as Secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society, he reorganised the run-down museum at Colombo and made a large collection of birds. Legge returned to the UK and was instructor in gunnery in Portsmouth from 1877-83. Legge became Lieutenant-Colonel and Commandant of the Tasmanian military forces from 1883-90 and 1898-1904. He later retired to "Cullenswood" in Scotland.

His son, Robert William Legge, was born in Trincomalee, Ceylon on 16 December 1874 and died at "Cullenswood", December 1944. Robert was educated the Hutchins School in Hobart and ran pastoral properties in the Riverina. He took over as manager of "Cullenswood" in 1918 after the death of his father (to1944). Like his father, Robert was extremely interested in birds, trees and aboriginal stone implements. He contributed several times to the 'Stray Feathers' column of The Emu and with his wife's help, he acquired a remarkable collection of stone artefacts, which were presented to the Victorian Museum at Launceston.

1862 1867 Career position - Commissioned in the Royal Artillery and stationed in Dover 1867 1877 Career position - Served with the imperial troops in Melbourne (-1868) and Ceylon 1877 1883 Career position - Instructor in gunnery, Portsmouth 1880 1880 Publication - "History of the Birds of Ceylon", published 1883 1890 Career position - Lieutenant-Colonel and Commandant of the Tasmanian military forces 1887 1887 Career position - "Systematic List of Tasmanian Birds", published 1898 1904 Career position - Lieutenant-Colonel and Commandant of the Tasmanian military forces 1901 1901 Career position - Founder of the (Royal) Australasian Ornithologists Union 1901 1903 Career position - Inaugural President, Australasian Ornithologists Union 1904 1904 Career position - President, Section D (Biology), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science Congress in Dunedin 1907 1907 Career position - Commemorated by Legge Tor, Ben Lomond Range Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union (1910 - 1997)

Member 1910 - 1918

 Australasian Ornithologists' Union (1901 - 1910)

President 1901 - 1903, Founding Member 1901 - 1910

 Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science (1888 - 1930)

President, Section D (Biology) 1904

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Legge, W Vincent (1841-1918)

Trove

 'Legge, William Vincent', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Legge, William Vincent Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Book Section: Legge, William Vincent (1841-1918), soldier and scientist Dollery, E. M. Legge, William Vincent (1841-1918), soldier and scientist Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1974 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 5: 1851 - 1890 K-Q Douglas Pike 78 Journal Article: Systematic list of Tasmanian birds Legge, W. V. Systematic list of Tasmanian birds 1887 Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1886 235-45 Book: Dictionary of Australian biography Serle, Percival Dictionary of Australian biography Sydney Angus & Robertson 1949 Book: The Flight of the Emu: a Hundred Years of Australian Ornithology 1901-2001 Robin, Libby The Flight of the Emu: a Hundred Years of Australian Ornithology 1901-2001 Melbourne Melbourne University Press 2001