Philanthropist, Educationalist. Born in Settle, Yorkshire, he became a became professor of natural philosophy at the Anderson’s College, Glasgow, in 1799. There he pioneered the first free classes for working-class men in mechanics and chemistry. In 1804, he became a physician in London and continued his interest in working class education. He founded the Mechanics’ Institutions in 1824, became the school’s first president and the institute became Birkbeck College, a constituent the London University. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)