Abstract
WE have already briefly alluded to the loss suffered by chemistry in the sudden death from heart-disease of Prof. von Wagner, which occurred at Würzburg, October 4. Johannes Rudolf Wagner was born February 13, 1822, at Leipzig. As a student in the university of his native city he made choice of chemistry as a profession, and supplemented the then somewhat limited advantages of the Leipzig laboratory by a course of study at Paris, whither students from numerous countries were attracted by the brilliant lectures and investigations of Dumas. His residence there was followed by a lengthy journey to the various centres of scientific interest in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, after which he returned in 1846 to Leipzig to accept a position as assistant in the chemical laboratory of the university. In 1851 he was appointed Extraordinary Professor of Technical Chemistry at the Nurnberg Polytechnic. In 1856 he accepted a call to the Chair of Technology at the University of Würzburg, a position which he occupied until the time of his death. During this same time he also filled two important offices, that of Director of the Technological Conservatory at Würzburg, and (until 1868) that of Royal Examiner of the establishments for Technical Instruction in Bavaria. His peculiar abilities and wide range of experience led to his being frequently sent abroad by the Bavarian Government on scientific missions, notably in 1858 to England and Holland, and in 1861 to Paris. The same reasons led to his being called upon to play an important rôle in the International Exhibitions of the past twenty years. He was successively appointed on the juries for chemical products at the Exhibitions of London (1862), Paris (1867), and Amsterdam (1869). At Vienna (1873) he was the Chief Commissioner of Bavaria, and at Philadelphia (1876) he was a leading member of the German Commission. The marked services which he rendered in connection with the Vienna Exhibition were recognised by his sovereign, who raised him to the nobility, and decorated him with the Order of the Crown. Prof. von Wagner was the recipient likewise of numerous decorations from most of the European countries.
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N., T. Johannes Rudolf Von Wagner . Nature 23, 11–12 (1880). https://doi.org/10.1038/023011b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/023011b0