William Hume-Rothery (15 May 1899 – 27 September 1968) was an English metallurgist and materials scientist who studied the constitution of alloys.
Early life and education
Hume-Rothery was born the son of lawyer Joseph Hume-Rothery in Worcester Park, Surrey. His grandfather, William Rothery, was a clergyman. His grandmother, Mary Hume-Rothery, a leading campaigner against vaccination, was the daughter of Joseph Hume, a Scottish doctor and Radical Member of parliament. William spent his youth in Cheltenham and was educated at Cheltenham College. In 1917 he was made totally deaf by a virus infection. Nevertheless, he entered Magdalen College, Oxford, and obtained a first class Honours degree in chemistry. He also attended the Royal School of Mines and was awarded a PhD.
He was a member of the Oxford Philatelic Society.
Selected publications
- Electrons, atoms, metals, and alloys (1948, 1955, 1963)
- Polish edition: Elektrony, atomy, metale i stopy (translated by Romuald Romicki, 1955)
- French edition: Électrons, atomes, métaux et alliages (translated by G. Hilly, 1959)
- Elements of structural metallurgy (1961)
- Russian edition: Введение в физическое металловедение (translated by V.M. Glazov and S.M. Gorin, 1965)
William Hume-Rothery Award
The William Hume-Rothery Award has since 1974 been awarded annually by The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.
Honours and awards
- Hume-Rothery was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May, 1937
- Awarded the Francis J. Clamer Medal in 1949.
Personal life and retirement
He married Elizabeth Fea in 1931; they had a daughter Jennifer in 1934. He retired in 1966 and died in 1968.