P000188 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn updated 2025-10-07 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000188b.htm person Wilson William Parkinson AACR2 1 February 1826 11 December 1874 Place of Birth Peterborough, Northamptonshire, England Place of Death Victoria, Australia Mathematician William Wilson was Professor of Mathematics at the University of Melbourne, one of the University's four founding professors. Besides mathematics and natural philosophy, Wilson taught mechanics, meteorology, optics, and astronomy. He was instrumental in persuading the Council to offer Australia's first university engineering course, with students enrolling from 1861. His interest in astronomy led to his being a leading advocate for the establishment of the Melbourne Observatory and serving on its Board of Visitors. In 1871 Wilson led an expedition to Cape Sidmouth, Queensland, to observe a solar eclipse and in 1874 set up his own observatory at Mornington, Victoria. For his contributions to the Royal Society of Victoria (and its predecessor the Philosophical Institute) Wilson was made a Life Member. 1847 1847 Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Cambridge 1847 1857 Career position - Senior Wrangler, later Fellow, St John's College, Cambridge 1849 1853 Career position - Founding Professor of Mathematics, Queen's College, Belfast, Ireland 1850 1850 Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Cambridge 1854 1874 Career position - Founding Professor of Mathematics, University of Melbourne 1855 1855 Life event - Arrived in Melbourne 1856 1856 Career position - Vice-President, Philosophical Institute of Victoria 1857 1859 Award - Life Member, Philosophical Institute of Victoria 1859 1874 Award - Life Member, Royal Society of Victoria The University of Melbourne (1853 - )

Founding Professor of Mathematics 1854 - 1874

 Philosophical Institute of Victoria (1855 - 1859)

Vice-President 1856; Life Member 1857 - 1859

 Royal Society of Victoria (1859 - )

Life Member 1859 - 1874

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Wilson, William Parkinson (1826-1874)

Trove

 'Wilson, William Parkinson', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Wilson, William Parkinson Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource Section: Wilson, William Parkinson Wilson, William Parkinson Australian Science Archives Project 1995 Physics in Australia to 1945 R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham Book Section: Wilson, William Parkinson (1826?-1874), professor of mathematics Wilson, William Parkinson (1826?-1874), professor of mathematics Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1976 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 6: 1851 - 1890 R - Z Bede Nairn 419-420 Journal Article: The appointment of the first four professors of mathematics in the University of Melbourne Cohen, Graeme The appointment of the first four professors of mathematics in the University of Melbourne 2006 Gazette of the Australian Mathematical Society 33 1 14-21 Resource: Science and the making of Victoria Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Science and the making of Victoria 2001 Journal Article: Australian solar eclipse expeditions: the voyage to Cape York in 1871 Lomb, Nick Australian solar eclipse expeditions: the voyage to Cape York in 1871 2016 Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage 19 1 79-95