Francis Napier Denison

Francis Napier Denison

Francis Napier Denison, weather forecaster, engineer, scientist (b at Toronto, Canada W 19 Apr 1866; d at Victoria 24 June 1946). An innovative scientist, Denison was known to thousands of Victorians as "our weatherman." Educated at Upper Canada College, he joined the Meteorological Service in 1882 and subsequently was appointed assistant observer at the Toronto Observatory (1884). He was transferred to Victoria as weather forecaster/observer in 1898. In Victoria, Denison became one of the best-known meteorological scientists in North America. His many contributions ranged from studies of weather cycles to research on seismic disturbances. Coincidentally, he developed several ingenious instruments to aid in daily weather prediction. He retired with honours in 1936, but even in retirement produced a seismograph, intended for use in mines as a safety device, and also a dust remover for hospital cabinets.