Andrew Picken Orr

Andrew Picken Orr FRSE ARIC (1898–1962) was a 20th-century Scottish oceanographer and was an expert on phytoplankton and copepod biology.

Early life and education

Orr was born in Ayrshire on 6 August 1898. He was educated at Kilmarnock Academy before enrolling at the University of Glasgow.^[1] His university education was interrupted by the First World War. He joined Glasgow's University Officers' Training Corps before being commissioned with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1917, serving as a Second Lieutenant. He served in France and was wounded in action then captured as a prisoner-of-war.^[2][3]

After the war, Orr continued his university education at Glasgow, studying Geology and Chemistry. He graduated with MA and BSc degrees, specialising in Pure Chemistry.^[3]

Scientific career

After graduating from university, for a time, Orr worked at Glasgow's Institute of Physiology^[3] under Dr Noel Paton,^[1] working on research funded by the Medical Research Council.^[4]

In 1923 he became a chemist at the Millport Research Station and in 1928 was part of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition (led by Sir Maurice Yonge) with Sheina Marshall,^[5][6] subsequently working with her for around 40 years in total. During the Second World War, they worked with Lily Newton and Elsie Conway on sourcing of pharmaceutical agar from UK marine algae.^[7] Orr rose to be Deputy Director of the station^[8] and was acting director at the time of his death.^[1]

Honours and recognition

In 1934, Orr received an honorary DSc from the University of Glasgow.^[1] In 1948 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir Maurice Yonge, Charles Wynford Parsons, Otto Lowenstein and James Wilfred Cook.^[9]

Personal life

Orr was married to his wife Rachel, with whom he had one son and one daughter. He died on 19 September 1962, survived by his wife and children.^[1]

Following his death, Sheina Marshall succeeded him as Deputy Director at Millport. When she retired in 1964, a collection of papers on contemporary marine biology research was published as a tribute to both Marshall and Orr's careers.^[3]

Publications

• With Sheina Marshall:
  • 1931 -
  • 1955 -
  • 1955 - On the Biology of Calanus Finmarchicus
  • 1969 -
• With Sheina Marshall and Lily Newton:
  • 1949 -

References

1. ^ Yonge, C. M. (1962-11-24). "Dr. A. P. Orr". Nature. 196 (4856): 719–719. doi:10.1038/196719a0. ISSN 0028-0836
2. ^ "Biography of 2nd Lieutenant A P Orr". universitystory.gla.ac.uk. Archived 2023-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
3. ^ Barnes, Harold (ed.) (1966). Some contemporary studies in marine science; a collection of original scientific papers presented to Dr. S. M. Marshall, O.B.E., F.R.S., in recognition of her contribution with the late Dr. A. P. Orr to marine biological progress. New York: Hafner Publishing Company.
4. ^ Orr, Andrew Picken (1924-01-01). "Laevulose in the Blood of the Human Foetus". Biochemical Journal. 18 (1): 171–172. doi:10.1042/bj0180171. ISSN 0306-3283. PMC 1259396
5. ^ Biological Oceanography: An Early History 1870–1960, Eric L Mills
6. ^ Yonge, C. M. (1930). Great Barrier reef expedition, 1928-29: scientific reports. London: British Museum (Natural History). p. 3. – via Internet Archive
7. ^ Reid, Geraldine. "In focus: Elsie Conway, Phycologist". National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
8. ^ "Royal Society of Edinburgh: New Fellows". Nature. 161 (4089): 390–390. 1948-03-01. doi:10.1038/161390c0. ISSN 1476-4687
9. ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 – 2002. The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2017.