(1847-1913) Knight Chemist

Walter Noel Hartley, a pioneer of spectroscopy, was born on the third of February 1847 (some sources give 1846) in Lichfield, Staffordshire. From 1871 to 1879 he lectured in Chemistry at King's College London. He was then given a professorship at the Royal College of Science in Dublin, remaining in this role until retiring in 1911.

In 1877 Hartley was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His work also led to his election to Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1884, and he was awarded an honorary doctorate (D.Sc.) by the Royal University of Ireland in October 1901. He later received a Knighthood in 1911.

Hartley's published works included: 'Air and its Relations to Life' (1876), 'Water, Air and Disinfectants' (1877) and 'Quantitative Analysis' (1887). He was awarded a gold medal at the 1904 St Louis Exposition, for scientific applications of photography and a silver medal in chemical arts. In 1906 he gained the Longstaff Medal of the Chemical Society for researches in spectro-chemistry, and in 1908, the Grand Prix for spectrographic research at the Franco-British Exhibition. He was president of Section B (Chemistry) of the British Association, 1903-04.

Hartley married Mary Laffan (1849-1916) in 1882, they had one son, who does in the First World War. Hartley died in Aberdeenshire on 11 September 1913.