John Thomas Dunn (chemist)

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John Thomas Dunn (19 April 1858 – 3 January 1939) was an English analytical chemist, teacher, and writer. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he left school at 13 to work, then studied chemistry at the College of Physical Science in Newcastle (part of Durham University). He became Durham’s first Master of Science (1881) and then its first Doctor of Science (1888). He taught chemistry, became Professor of Chemistry at the College of Physical Science, and later led Gateshead High School for Boys.

In 1895 Dunn founded the Northern Polytechnic Institute in Holloway, London, and served as its founding Principal. The institute opened in 1896 and grew quickly. In 1901 he left academia to work as an analytical and consulting chemist with J and H S Pattinson in Newcastle, serving as public analyst for Newcastle, Northumberland, and several North East towns. He remained closely involved with the firm and public analytical work for the rest of his career.

Dunn was highly active in professional bodies. He joined the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1905, later serving as vice-president (1917–18) and president (1930). He was also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry and president of the Society of Public Analysts (1930) and the Society of Chemical Industry (1933–34). He published textbooks, including General Elementary Science (with V A Mundella, 1899) and Pulverised and Colloidal Fuel (1924).

He married Frances Thomas in 1884, and they had one child, Laura. Dunn was a hereditary freeman of Newcastle and involved in local clubs and chambers of commerce. He died in Newcastle in 1939 from pneumonia, a complication of cancer. Obituaries called him “the Father of Tyneside Chemistry” for his lifelong contribution to science and industry.