James Clerk Maxwell's class of 1856/57

TL;DR

This paper analyzes James Clerk Maxwell's 1856/57 class, exploring students' backgrounds, careers, and the sociological context of Scottish university education in the 19th century.

Contribution

It provides a detailed sociological survey of Maxwell's students, including portraits and career trajectories, enriching understanding of 19th-century Scottish higher education.

Findings

Students came from diverse backgrounds.

Many students achieved notable careers in science and academia.

The data offers insights into 19th-century Scottish university education.

Abstract

James Clerk Maxwell is known for his outstanding contributions to fundamental physics. These include providing the equations that govern electric and magnetic fields, establishing the basis of modern colourimetry, finding important relationships in thermodynamics, molecular science, mechanics, optics and astronomy. In his first Professorial chair in 1856 at the Marischal College and University of Aberdeen he undertook a substantial amount of teaching that laid the foundation for his later pedagogic output. This paper examines whom he taught, where his first students came from and what they did in later life, drawing material from a privately published memoir. Thumbnail portraits are included for 70% of his class. The analysis complements the usual emphasis on educational method and content. The data provide an interesting sociological survey of what Scottish University education was achieving in the middle of the 19th century and is presented as raw material for a wider enquiry.