William Morgan: Eighteenth-Century Actuary, Mathematician and Radical (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781786836182)

To meet William Morgan is to encounter the eighteenth-century world of finance, science and politics. Born in Bridgend in 1750, he claimed Welsh heritage, but his influence went far beyond national borders and the legacy of his work continues to shape life in the twenty-first century. This biography, which draws on archival research and a cache of unpublished Morgan family letters, tells the story of his life and intellectual contributions.

At the age of twenty-five--and with no formal training--Morgan became an actuary at the Equitable, then a fledgling life insurance company. It was the first step on a path that would lead him to be dubbed "the father of actuarial science" and earn him the Copley Medal, the most prestigious award given by the Royal Society. His interests went far beyond actuarial tables, however--his papers on his electrical experiments reveal that, albeit unwittingly, he constructed the first X-ray tube. And as a political radical, his outspoken views put him at risk of imprisonment during Pitt's Reign of Terror. This accessible biography introduces readers to a fascinating polymath whose influence is still being felt today.


Author: Nicola Bruton Bennetts
ISBN-10: 1786836181
ISBN-13: 9781786836182
Publisher: University of Wales Press
Language: English
Published: 12/11/2020
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.70d