WALTER

See also:

• WALTER WELDON (1832-1885)

WELDON (1832-1885)  , English technical chemist, was born at Loughborough on the 31St of October 1832 . In 1854 he began to work as a journalist in London in connexion with the Dial, which was afterwards incorporated in the Morning Star, and in 186o he started a monthly magazine, Weldon's Register of Facts and Occurrences relating to Literature, the Sciences and the Arts, which was discontinued after about three years' existence . Though he was without practical knowledge of the science, Weldon turned to industrial chemistry, and in the course of a few years took out the patents which led to his " manganese-regeneration " process (see CHLORINE) . This was put into operation about 1869, and by 18/5 it was being used by almost every chlorine manufacturer of importance throughout Europe . He continued to work at the production of chlorine in connexion with the processes of alkali-manufacture (q.v.), andwhich was established on a commercial scale only a year or two before his death—met with equal success . He died at Burstow, Surrey, on the loth of September 1885 . He professed Swedenborgian principles and was a believer in spiritualism . His son, WALTER FRANK RAPHAEL WELDON (1860-1906), was appointed in 1899 Linacre professor of comparative anatomy at Oxford .