Sir William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs and the Institution of Engineering and Technology

Abstract

Sir William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs, was a member of the Society of Telegraph Engineers and the Institution of Electrical Engineers (the precursors of the current Institution of Engineering and Technology) for 36 years. Elected as the President three times, Lord Kelvin’s involvement with the institution has had a lasting effect on the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). His bust (Fig. 1) is displayed at the IET’s London headquarters at Savoy Place and his portrait hangs in the lecture theatre alongside those of other engineering luminaries such as Alessandro Volta and Michael Faraday. Every year, the IET also hosts a lecture in memory of Kelvin. This chapter will explore the background to the IET, the history of Kelvin’s relationship with the Institution and the impact that he had upon the Institution as a whole.