Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell, 1st Baron Blythswood FRS (22 February 1835 – 8 July 1908) was a Scottish soldier, Tory politician, amateur scientist and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.
Born Archibald Campbell Douglas (he dropped the Douglas from his name in 1838) in Florence, Tuscany, he was the son of Archibald Campbell, 17th Laird of Mains.
Campbell joined the 79th Highlanders at the age of 16 and fought in the Crimean War in 1855, where he was severely wounded. He transferred to the Scots Fusilier Guards and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. On 7 July 1864, he married Hon. Augusta Clementina Carrington, a daughter of the 2nd Baron Carrington, at Whitehall Chapel, London. He retired from the army in 1868 on the death of his father.
He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Renfrewshire from 1873 to 1874, and for West Renfrewshire from 1885 to 1892. He was also Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire from 1904 to 1908. On 4 May 1880, he was created Baronet Campbell of Blythswood and was an Aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria. In 1888 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of Law from the University of Glasgow and made a Freeman of the City of Glasgow. On 24 August 1892, he was created Baron Blythswood, with a special remainder to his five younger brothers.
He was a notable amateur scientist and took his wife to Thebes to observe the Transit of Venus in 1874, taking with him a small transit instrument, a 6-inch telescope and a 12-inch telescope, recording the time of first contact, and also observed a white halo, proving an atmosphere around Venus. From 1892 to 1905 the Blythswood Laboratory at his family seat was used to experiment into many areas at the borders of physics, including the use of cathode rays, X-rays, spectroscopy and radioactivity. He designed a speed indicator, which was fitted to ships of the Royal Navy, and carried out studies into the efficiency of aerial propellers some years before the Wright Brothers' first powered flight in 1903. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May, 1907.[1]
He died on at age 73 at his home Blythswood House, Renfrewshire, without issue and was buried on 11 July 1908 at Inchinnan. His baronetcy became extinct but his barony passed to his brother, Sholto.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Bruce |
Member of Parliament for Renfrewshire 1873–1874 |
Succeeded by William Mure |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for West Renfrewshire 1885–1892 |
Succeeded by Charles Bine Renshaw |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart |
Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire 1904–1908 |
Succeeded by Thomas Glen Glen-Coats |
| Masonic offices | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Mar |
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland 1885–1892 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Haddington |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Blythswood 1892–1908 |
Succeeded by Sholto Campbell |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Blythswood) 1880–1908 |
Extinct |