John H. de Magellan (417)

John H. de Magellan (4 November 1722–7 February 1790) was a natural philosopher, a translator, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1784. De Magellan was born to a wealthy and well-connected family in Aveiro, Portugal. As a young man, he entered the Augustinian order where he first encountered the writings of Isaac Newton and other foundational scientists in the convent’s library. A life of religious solitude did not suit de Magellan, and in 1754 he petitioned the pope to leave the convent and live a secular life. He found work as a translator of both scientific works and of religious texts. After settling in England in 1763, he became involved in British scientific circles: he attended meetings as a guest at the Royal Society for years before he became a member in 1774. De Magellan worked for many years as a travel companion to young people, including scientists, on trips around Europe. This work helped him form connections among leading intellectuals throughout the continent, and his widespread correspondence helped spread news of scientific discoveries and technological advances. In the early 1770s he carried information about APS Member Joseph Priestley’s work on gases to APS Member Antoine Lavoisier; this proved crucial to Lavoisier’s later discoveries. The value of de Magellan’s role as a disseminator of valuable knowledge was rewarded with membership in several of the leading academies and scientific organizations of the time, including the Academie Royale des Sciences, the St. Petersburg Academy, the Society of Arts, and the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Brussels. Scientists and governments throughout Europe frequently commissioned him to supply them with the latest scientific apparatus, and he applied his own extensive scientific understanding in proposing improvements to commonly manufactured instruments. De Magellan suffered from poor health throughout much of his life and died at his home in London in 1790. (DNB)