George Graham (1674-Nov. 20, 1751) was an English clockmaker, inventor, and geophysicist, and a member of the Royal Society. A Friend (Quaker) like his mentor Thomas Tompion, Graham left Cumberland in 1688 for London to work with Tompion.
He was partner to the influential English clockmaker Thomas Tompion during the last few years of Tompion's life. Graham is credited with inventing several design improvements to the pendulum clock, inventing the mercury pendulum and also the orrery. However his greatest innovation was the invention of the Graham or dead beat escapement around 1715. 1722 he was appointed the master of the Clockmakers Company [1].
He was buried in the same tomb as his friend and mentor Tompion in Westminster Abbey.[2]
His major contribution to geophysics was the discovery of the diurnal variation of the terrestrial magnetic field in 1722/23[3][4]. He was also one of the first to notice that auroras are related to magnetic field variations[5]. The compass needles he produced as an instrument-maker were used by many of contemporary magneticians.
Between 1730 and 1738, Graham had as an apprentice Thomas Mudge who went on to be an eminent watchmaker in his own right, and invented the lever escapement, an important development for pocket watches.[6]
Examples of his work
- a 28 day duration longcase regulator with dead beat escapement c. 1745 Moyse's Hall MuseumBury St Edmunds UK
See also
- [www.thebritishmasters.biz| The British Masters SA] Anglo-Swiss Watch Manufacturer: Revival of Graham's Spirit
References
- ^ Watch-Wiki: George Graham
- ^ Britten, Frederick J. (1894). Former Clock and Watchmakers and their Work. London: E. & F.N. Spon. http://books.google.com/books?id=iHwCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA89&., p.89-97
- ^ Graham, George (1724): An Account of Observations Made of the Variation of the Horizontal Needle at London, in the Latter Part of the Year 1722, and Beginning of 1723. Phil. Trans. 33, 96-107
- ^ Graham, George (1724): Observations of the Dipping Needle, Made at London, in the Beginning of the Year 1723. Phil. Trans. 33, 332-339
- ^ Graham, George (1748): Some Observations, Made during the Last Three Years, of the Quantity of the Variation of the Magnetic Horizontal Needle to the Westward. Phil. Trans. 45, 279-280
- ^ Harold Bagust, “The Greater Genius?”, 2006, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 0711031754 (page 15)
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