Augustus Voelcker
| Augustus Voelcker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
24 September 1822 Frankfurt am Main |
| Died | 5 December 1884 (aged 62) London |
| Nationality | German |
| Fields | Chemist |
| Known for | Royal Agricultural Society of England |
| Influences |
Friedrich Wöhler Justus von Liebig Gerardus Johannes Mulder James Finlay Weir Johnston |
Augustus Voelcker F.R.S. (24 September 1822 – 5 December 1884), full name John Christopher Augustus Voelcker, was a Royal Agricultural Society of England chemist. Voelcker was known for his methodical and precise analytical practices as applied to agricultural chemistry.
After working as a pharmacist's assistant in Frankfurt am Main until 1842, then in a similar capacity in Schaffhausen until 1844, Voelcker entered University of Göttingen where he studied chemistry under professor Friedrich Wöhler. He also attended University of Giessen, where the German chemist Justus von Liebig lectured on agricultural chemistry. He went to Utrecht in 1846 to work as assistant to professor Gerardus Johannes Mulder where Voelcker studied the chemistry of animal and vegetable production. In 1847 he went to Edinburgh as assistant to James Finlay Weir Johnston, the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland's chemist at the time. Whilst in Edinburgh, he lectured at Durham University and also became friends with the chemist George Wilson. From 1849, as the first professor of chemistry at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, Voelcker lectured on such topics as sewage.
Voelcker was recruited as consultant chemist to the Royal Bath and West of England Society by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 11th Baronet in about 1849. He was appointed consultant chemist to the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution in 1855, a post he held until 1863, although he continued to maintain connections with the society. Voelcker contributed to the society's journal and lectured throughout the area. He was well aware of agricultural economics, for, as he said
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