author

Francis Hauksbee

1687–1763

An English instrument maker and experimental lecturer, he helped bring hands-on science to public audiences in early 18th-century London. His work with the Royal Society and his practical skill with scientific apparatus made him part of the lively world of Newtonian experiment.

1 Audiobook

A Course of Mechanical, Magnetical, Optical, Hydrostatical and Pneumatical Experiments

A Course of Mechanical, Magnetical, Optical, Hydrostatical and Pneumatical Experiments

by Francis Hauksbee, William Whiston

About the author

Born in 1687, Francis Hauksbee the Younger was an English instrument maker, lecturer, and a nephew of the better-known Francis Hauksbee the Elder. He became closely connected with the Royal Society and was elected its clerk and housekeeper in 1723.

He is remembered for helping spread experimental science through lectures and demonstrations, and for making and selling scientific instruments such as air pumps and balances. Some accounts also credit him as an early figure in the tradition of public scientific lectures in London, including work with William Whiston.

Hauksbee died on January 11, 1763. Reliable portrait images do not appear to be readily available from the sources I could confirm, so no profile image is included here.