# William Unwin

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British engineer (1838–1933)

For the English clergyman and amateur rower, see [William Sully Unwin](/source/William_Sully_Unwin).

William Unwin Born 12 December 1838 Coggeshall, Essex Died 17 March 1933(1933-03-17) (aged 94) Kensington Education City of London School and New College London Parent(s) Eliza and William Jordon Unwin Engineering career Discipline Civil Institutions Institution of Civil Engineers (president), Institution of Mechanical Engineers (president) Awards Kelvin Gold Medal Signature

**William Cawthorne Unwin** [FRS](/source/Royal_Society) (12 December 1838 – 17 March 1933)[1] was a British [civil](/source/Civil_engineer) and mechanical engineer. He is noted for his extensive work on [hydraulics](/source/Hydraulic_engineering) and engines as well as his close association with [William Fairbairn](/source/William_Fairbairn). He is one of only a few men who have served as president of both the [Institution of Civil Engineers](/source/Institution_of_Civil_Engineers) and the [Institution of Mechanical Engineers](/source/Institution_of_Mechanical_Engineers). Unwin served as an engineering advisor to the government during the [First World War](/source/First_World_War) and was the first recipient of the [Kelvin Gold Medal](/source/Kelvin_Gold_Medal) awarded by the Institution of Civil Engineers.

## Biography

William was born to the [Reverend](/source/Reverend) William Jordon Unwin and his wife, Eliza, at [Coggeshall](/source/Coggeshall), Essex. He received an education from the [City of London School](/source/City_of_London_School) and studied for a year at [New College](/source/New_College_London), [St John's Wood](/source/St_John's_Wood), many of the universities being closed to him due to his [congregational](/source/Congregational) roots. Having finished his studies he began work for [William Fairbairn](/source/William_Fairbairn) as a clerk in February 1856. Initially he worked in the Fairbairn Engineering Company testing department carrying out and documenting various structural and material tests.[2]

In 1862 he was appointed to be works manager of the Williamson Brothers engineering works in [Kendal](/source/Kendal) where he manufactured [water turbines](/source/Water_turbine) for use in [industrial mills](/source/Watermill).[3] He returned to Fairbairn's as manager of the engine department in 1856, studying in his spare time to gain a Bachelor of Science degree by 1861.[2] In 1868 he lectured at the school of [Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture](/source/Royal_School_of_Naval_Architecture) in London and began a series of five courses on civil engineering for [Royal Engineers](/source/Royal_Engineers) officers at [Brompton Barracks](/source/Brompton%2C_Kent) in Kent. Having finished his lectures at Brompton he was appointed to the [chair](/source/Professor) of hydraulic and mechanical engineering at the [Royal Indian Engineering College](/source/Royal_Indian_Engineering_College) (Coopers Hill) in Surrey in 1872. He remained there for twelve years, also serving as [dean](/source/Dean_(education)) of the college.[2]

He published *Elements of Machine Design* in 1877, one of his most famous articles. He also wrote the [hydraulics](/source/Hydraulics) entry for the [Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica) in 1881, an article that was much in demand by engineers of the time and resulted in that part of the Encyclopaedia being much sought after.[2] In 1885 he was appointed professor of civil and mechanical engineering to the [City and Guilds College](/source/City_and_Guilds_College), becoming the first professor of engineering at the [University of London](/source/University_of_London) when the college was incorporated in 1900, he retired from academic life in 1904.[3] Upon his retirement, [W. Ernest Dalby](/source/William_Dalby_(engineer)) replaced him in the vacated professorial chair.

Between 1890 and 1893 Unwin served as secretary of the commission to install [hydroelectric power](/source/Hydroelectric_power) generators at [Niagara Falls](/source/Niagara_Falls) for the [Niagara Falls Power Company](/source/Niagara_Falls_Power_Company), a scheme which would result in over 75 [megawatts](/source/Megawatt) of electricity being generated for the town of [Buffalo](/source/Buffalo%2C_New_York). He was retained by the company as a consulting engineer for the construction phase of the project. In this period he also acted as a consultant on various hydraulic schemes, including projects for the [Government of Western Australia](/source/Government_of_Western_Australia), the [New Jersey Water Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Jersey_Water_Company&action=edit&redlink=1), [Derwent Valley Water Board](/source/Severn_Trent), the [Birmingham reservoirs](/source/List_of_reservoirs_and_dams_in_the_United_Kingdom#West_Midlands) and [Lake Vyrnwy](/source/Lake_Vyrnwy) in [Powys](/source/Powys).[2]

Much of Unwin's work in the 1890s was the testing of engines and boilers initially for coal-fired [steam systems](/source/Steam_engine) but later on [internal combustion engines](/source/Internal_combustion_engine). He also investigated the [tensile strength](/source/Tensile_strength) of various alloys using the 100 ton testing equipment at the college. Between 1896 and 1900 he was a member of the Departmental Committee of the [Board of Trade](/source/Board_of_Trade) investigating the loss of strength in steel rails performing many experiments on behalf of the committee.[2]

He was elected as President of the [Institution of Civil Engineers](/source/Institution_of_Civil_Engineers) in November 1911 and served a one-year term.[4] In 1913 he was made chairman of an Institution of Civil Engineers committee investigating the training of engineers, his professional development scheme remains an integral part of the training program. During the [First World War](/source/First_World_War) Unwin volunteered his services to the government and served on the Gauge Committee of the [Ministry of Munitions](/source/Ministry_of_Munitions); the Metropolitan Munitions Committee and the Munitions Management Board. He served as Presidential Chair of the [Institution of Mechanical Engineers](/source/Institution_of_Mechanical_Engineers) between 1915 and 1916.[2]

In 1921 he was the first recipient of the [Kelvin Gold Medal](/source/Kelvin_Gold_Medal). He was regarded by [Sir Alexander Kennedy](/source/Alexander_Kennedy) as one of the few professors with a full knowledge of the practical aspects of the profession.[2] Late into his life he remained dedicated to the profession, attending a discussion on impact testing hosted by the Institution of Civil Engineers when he was 82. Unwin died, at his home in Kensington on 17 March 1933.[3]

## Honours

1886 [Fellow](/source/Fellow) of the [Royal Society](/source/Royal_Society) 1886 Honorary Associate of the [Royal Institute of British Architects](/source/Royal_Institute_of_British_Architects) 1890 Honorary Member of the [American Philosophical Society](/source/American_Philosophical_Society)[5] 1890 Honorary Member of the [Franklin Institute](/source/Franklin_Institute) 1892 President of the [Engineering Section](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Engineering_Section&action=edit&redlink=1) of the [British Association](/source/British_Association) 1894 Member of the Council of the Royal Society 1896 James Watt Memorial Lecture (topic chosen by Unwin: the life of [Gustave-Adolphe Hirn](/source/Gustave-Adolphe_Hirn))[6] 1900 International Honorary Member of the [American Academy of Arts and Sciences](/source/American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Sciences)[7] 1905 Honorary [Doctor of Laws](/source/Doctor_of_Laws) from the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh) Honorary Member of the [American Society of Civil Engineers](/source/American_Society_of_Civil_Engineers) Honorary Member of the [American Society of Mechanical Engineers](/source/American_Society_of_Mechanical_Engineers)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-obit_1-0)** *Evening Standard Obituary* 18 March 1933.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FRS_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FRS_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FRS_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FRS_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FRS_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-FRS_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-FRS_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-FRS_2-7) Wilson, J. S. (1934). ["William Cawthorne Unwin. 1838-1933"](https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frsbm.1934.0001). *[Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society](/source/Obituary_Notices_of_Fellows_of_the_Royal_Society)*. **1** (3): 167–178. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1098/rsbm.1934.0001](https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frsbm.1934.0001). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [768818](https://www.jstor.org/stable/768818).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Graces_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Graces_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Graces_3-2) [Graces Guide](http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/William_Cawthorne_Unwin)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-civils_4-0)** Watson, Garth (1988). *The Civils*. London: Thomas Telford Ltd. p. 252. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7277-0392-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7277-0392-7).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: publisher location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_publisher_location))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["APS Member History"](https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=William+C.+Unwin&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced). *search.amphilsoc.org*. Retrieved 12 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Addison, Henry Robert; Oakes, Charles Henry; Lawson, William John; Sladen, Douglas Brooke Wheelton (1905). ["UNWIN, William Cawthorne"](https://books.google.com/books?id=iEVLAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1637). *Who's Who*. Vol. 57. p. 1637.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["William Cawthorne Unwin | American Academy of Arts and Sciences"](https://www.amacad.org/person/william-cawthorne-unwin). *www.amacad.org*. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2024.

Works by or about [William Unwin](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:William_Cawthorne_Unwin) at [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource)

Professional and academic associations Preceded by Alexander Siemens President of the Institution of Civil Engineers November 1911 – November 1912 Succeeded by Robert Elliott-Cooper Preceded by Sir Frederick Donaldson President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers 1915–1916 Succeeded by Michael Longridge

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States Japan Greece Israel Academics CiNii People Trove DDB Other IdRef Open Library SNAC Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Unwin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Unwin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Unwin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.