P001387 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 Gavan McCarthy updated 2026-03-05 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P001387b.htm person Ellery Robert Lewis John CMG FRS AACR2 14 July 1827 14 January 1908 Place of Birth Cranleigh, Surrey, England Place of Death Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Astronomer Public servant Surveyor Robert Ellery, who was born in England and trained as a surgeon, arrived in Melbourne 1852. He was the founder of the Williamstown Observatory, Melbourne in 1853 and was the Victorian Government Astronomer 1853-1895. President of the Royal Society of Victoria 1866-1884.

Ellery arrived in Melbourne in 1852 and set up practice as a doctor at Williamstown where he established an observatory in 1853. Following Neumayer's departure from Australia in 1863, he was appointed as Government Astronomer and Meteorologist. He was the founding President of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors, from 1874-1877, and was elected Fellow of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors, in 1877, the first to be awarded the honour. He expanded the Victorian observing networks and began collecting observations by telegraph from further afield as a basis for the preparation of daily synoptic charts which first appeared in the Melbourne Argus in September 1881. Ellery became a leading figure in the Melbourne scientific community and served for almost 20 years as President of the Royal Society of Victoria. A Hundred Years of Science and Service, Bureau of Meteorology, 2001.

1853 1863 Career position - Superintendent, Williamstown Observatory, Victoria 1858 Career position - Director, Geodetic Survey of Victoria 1863 1895 Career position - Director, Melbourne Observatory, and Victorian Government Astronomer 1866 1884 Career position - President, Royal Society of Victoria 1868 1868 Career event - Elected Member, Medical Society of Victoria 1873 1908 Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS) April 1874 April 1877 Career position - President, Victorian Institute of Surveyors 1876 1876 Award - Elected as an Honorary Member, Adelaide Philosophical Society April 1877 April 1877 Award - Elected Fellow, Victorian Institute of Surveyors 1881 1881 Career event - Member (MSTE), Society of Telegraph Engineers , London 1885 1885 Career position - Inaugural President, Victorian Beekeepers' Club 1888 Career position - Original [founding] member, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1888 1888 Career position - President, Section A (Astronomy, Mathematics and Physics), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1889 1889 Award - Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales 1889 1889 Award - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) 1898 1900 Career position - President, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science Working Men's College (1882 - 1933)

Member of Council, 1882 - 1902

 Williamstown Observatory, Colony of Victoria (1853 - 1863)

Superintendent 1853 - 1863

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

Original [founding] member 1888 - ; President, Section A (Astronomy, Mathematics and Physics) 1888; President 1898 - 1900

 Melbourne Observatory, Colony and State of Victoria (1863 - 1944)

Director of the Observatory and Victorian Government Astronomer 1863 - 1895

 Victorian Institute of Surveyors (VIS) (1874 - 1952)

President 1874 - 1877

 Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales (1878 - )

Awarded the Medal 1889

 Royal Society of Victoria (1859 - )

President 1866 - 1884

 Adelaide Philosophical Society (1853 - 1880)

Elected as an Honorary Member 1876

 Medical Society of Victoria (1855 - 1907)

Elected Member 1868

 Robert Ellery Lectureship, Astronomical Society of Australia (1991 - )

The Astronomical Society of Australia has awarded the Lectureship since 1991

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Ellery, R L J (1827-1908)

Trove

 'Ellery, Robert Lewis John', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Ellery, Robert Lewis John Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: Abel's Fuses and Wheatstone's Exploder Ellery, R.L.J. Abel's Fuses and Wheatstone's Exploder Melbourne Wilson & Mackinnon 1865 Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 6 167-168 Journal Article: Notes on the Construction and Management of Theodolites Ellery, R. L. J. Notes on the Construction and Management of Theodolites 1881 Transactions and Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors 1 1872-1880 81-90 Journal Article: On the Method of obtaining True Bearings in Surveying Ellery, R. L. J. On the Method of obtaining True Bearings in Surveying 1876 Transactions and Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors 1 1874-1880 53-62 Journal Article: On the Application of Galvanic Electricity to Practical Astronomy Ellery, R.L.J. On the Application of Galvanic Electricity to Practical Astronomy 1860 Transactions of the Royal Society of Victoria 5 145-152 Journal Article: On Gun Cotton as an Explosive Agent Ellery, R.L.J. On Gun Cotton as an Explosive Agent Melbourne Wilson & Mackinnon 1874 Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 10 78 Journal Article: On Various Forms of Galvanic Battery Ellery, R.L.J. On Various Forms of Galvanic Battery Melbourne Wilson & Mackinnon 1878 Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 14 65 Journal Article: Brief Sketch of the Geodetic Survey of Victoria Ellery, R. L. J. Brief Sketch of the Geodetic Survey of Victoria 1900 Transactions and Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors 4 1891-1899 13-20 Journal Article: On Ozone Ellery, R.L.J. On Ozone Melbourne Wilson & Mackinnon 1866 Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 7 131-135 Book Section: Robert Lewis John Ellery, 1827-1908 Holland, Julian Robert Lewis John Ellery, 1827-1908 Oxford Oxford University Press 2004 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Resource Section: The Origins of Australian Meteorology Gibbs, W. J. The Origins of Australian Meteorology 2001 Federation and Meteorology Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Book: The Origins of Australian Meteorology, Metarch Papers No. 12 Gibbs, W. J. The Origins of Australian Meteorology, Metarch Papers No. 12 Bureau of Meteorology 1998 Article: Scientists and Colonists Newell, Jennifer and Sutherland, Denise Scientists and Colonists 1997 Australasian Science Summer Resource Section: Ellery, Robert Lewis John Ellery, Robert Lewis John Australian Science Archives Project 1995 Physics in Australia to 1945 R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham Book Section: Ellery, Robert Lewis John (1827-1908), astronomer and public servant Gascoigne, S. C. B. Ellery, Robert Lewis John (1827-1908), astronomer and public servant Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1972 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 4: 1851 - 1890 D-J Douglas Pike 135-137 Journal Article: Robert LJ. Ellery, His Life and Times Gascoigne, S. C. B. Robert LJ. Ellery, His Life and Times 1992 Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia 10 170-176 Journal Article: A brief history of the beginnings and growth of astronomy in Australasia. [President's Address] Ellery, R. J. A brief history of the beginnings and growth of astronomy in Australasia. [President's Address] Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1901 Report of the eighth meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 8 1-17 Journal Article: Account of operations connected with the advancement of commercial astronomy in Australia Ellery, R. L. J. Account of operations connected with the advancement of commercial astronomy in Australia 1855 Monthly notes & records of the Royal Astronomical Society 15 153-6 Journal Article: Address by [...] President of Section A - Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics [On the present position of astronomical knowledge] Ellery, R. L. J. Address by [...] President of Section A - Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics [On the present position of astronomical knowledge] Sydney, NSW Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1889 Report of the first meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1 26-38 Journal Article: Our Observatory: the story of its establishment Ross, C. Stuart Our Observatory: the story of its establishment 1918 Victorian historical magazine 6 4 134-44 Journal Article: Influences of German science and scientists on Melbourne Observatory Clark, Barry A. J. Influences of German science and scientists on Melbourne Observatory 2015 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 127 1 43-58 Journal Article: Obituary: Robert Lewis John Ellery Anon Obituary: Robert Lewis John Ellery 1909 Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 69 245-5 Journal Article: Preliminary spectroscopic survey of southern stars, made at Melbourne Observatory with a MacLean direct-vision spectroscope on the 8-inch equatorial Ellery, R. Preliminary spectroscopic survey of southern stars, made at Melbourne Observatory with a MacLean direct-vision spectroscope on the 8-inch equatorial 1889 Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 49 439-45 Resource: Electrical Engineer Membership Forms, 1871-1901 Institution of Electrical Engineers, London Electrical Engineer Membership Forms, 1871-1901 ancestry.com Resource: Robert Ellery Lectureship Astronomical Society of Australia Robert Ellery Lectureship Astronomical Society of Australia 2023 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 Resource Section: Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria 2026 Resource Section: Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria 2026 Resource Section: Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria 2026 Resource Section: Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria 2026 Resource Section: Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria 2026 Resource Section: Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria 2026 Journal Article: The Last Great Speculum: the 48-inch Great Melbourne Telescope Perdrix, John The Last Great Speculum: the 48-inch Great Melbourne Telescope 1992 Australian Journal of Astronomy 4 3 149-163 Resource: Federation and Meteorology Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Federation and Meteorology 2001 Resource Section: Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria collections - Items Museums Victoria 2026 Book Section: Organizing Science Under the Southern Cross MacLeod, Roy Organizing Science Under the Southern Cross Melbourne Oxford University Press 1988 The Commonwealth of Science: ANZAAS and the Scientific Enterprise in Australasia, 1888-1988 Roy MacLeod 19-39 Journal Article: Note on the polarity of magnetic rocks Rücker, Arthur Note on the polarity of magnetic rocks Sydney, NSW Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1889 Report of the first meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1 94 Edited Book: Eclipse chasers Lomb, Nick; and Stevenson, Toner Eclipse chasers Clayton South, Vic CSIRO Publishing 2023 Book: Dictionary of Australian biography Serle, Percival Dictionary of Australian biography Sydney Angus & Robertson 1949 Book Section: The development of astronomy and the foundation of astrophysics in Australia Orchiston, Wayne; Clark, Barry A. J.; Frew, David; and Andropoulos, Jenny The development of astronomy and the foundation of astrophysics in Australia Cham, Switzerland Springer 2017 The emergence of astrophysics in Asia: opening a new window on the Universe Nakamura, T.; and Orchiston, W. 395-452 Resource: Science and the making of Victoria Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Science and the making of Victoria 2001 Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 782 1870 - 1895 Visitors book c1870-95. 1 volume Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 783 1860 - 1937 Board of Visitors minute books 1860-1937. 2 volumes Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 866 1881 - 1917 Outward letter books - foreign 1881-1917. 2 volumes Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 781 1860 - 1904 Annual Reports of Board of Visitors 1860-1904. 4 volumes Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 776 1857 - 1880 R.L.J. Ellery's Letter Book (Melbourne Observatory) 1857-80. Includes Charles Todd's correspondence with the Victorian Government Astronomer c1857-1906. 1 volume Robert Lewis John Ellery - Records Royal Society of Tasmania Robert Lewis John Ellery - Records RSA/B.10 1881 - 1882 Letters to the Royal Society of Tasmania 1881-82 [3 items, RSA/B.10]. 3 items Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 775 1859 - 1919 Outward letter books - colonial 1859-1919. 19 volumes Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 869 1859 - 1862 Early historical inward correspondence 1859-62. 1 volume Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 780 1852 - 1943 Inward Correspondence - Melbourne Observatory, 1852-1943 Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 779 1859 - 1863 Outward correspondence - Geodetic Survey 1859-63. 1 volume Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 868 1854 - 1870 Records 1854-70. 1 volume Melbourne Observatory - Records Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre Melbourne Observatory - Records VPRS 777 1854 - 1870 Phenomena and Meteorological Reports 1854-70. 8 volumes Ellery, Robert Lewis John Portrait Ellery, Robert Lewis John Portrait Royal Society of Victoria Presidential Portrait

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