Alexander Williamson: a Victorian chemist and the making of modern Japan

Alexander Williamson was professor ofchemistry at UCL (1849-87) and a leading scientist of his time. He taught andcared for visiting Japanese students, thereby assisting them with their goal ofmodernising Japan. This short, accessible biography explores his contributionto nineteenth-century science as well as his lasting impact on Japanesesociety.

In 1863 five students from the Choshu clan, with a desperate desire to learnfrom the West, made their way to England. They were put in the care ofWilliamson and his wife. Their mission was to learn about cutting-edge Westerntechnology, science, economics and politics. When they returned home they rapidlybecame leading figures in Japanese life at a particularly turbulent time, oneof them serving as the country's first prime minister. Subsequently many other Japanesestudents followed in their footsteps and studied at UCL.

 The remarkable story of the part Williamson andUCL played in the modernisation of Japan is little known today. This biographywill promote a deeper understanding of Williamson's scientific innovations andhis legacy for Anglo-Japanese relations. An afterword briefly outlines theextraordinary careers of the pioneering students after they left Britain.