William Henry Perkin

British chemist known for his accidental discovery of the first synthetic dye (1838–1907)
Person human Q165749
William Henry Perkin
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William Henry Perkin

Summary

William Henry Perkin is a human[1]. His place of birth was London[2]. He was born on March 12, 1838[3]. He died in London Borough of Harrow[4]. He died on July 14, 1907[5]. He worked as a chemist[6], inventor[7], and businessperson[8]. He ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (91 views/month, #7,210 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • William Henry Perkin was born in London[2].
  • William Henry Perkin passed away in London Borough of Harrow[4].
  • William Henry Perkin was born on March 12, 1838[3].
  • William Henry Perkin died on July 14, 1907[5].
  • A child of William Henry Perkin was William Henry Perkin[10].
  • A child of William Henry Perkin was Arthur George Perkin[11].
  • William Henry Perkin held citizenship in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[12].
  • William Henry Perkin's professions included chemist[6].
  • William Henry Perkin worked as an inventor[7].
  • William Henry Perkin worked as a businessperson[8].
  • William Henry Perkin's field of work was organic chemistry[13].
  • Among William Henry Perkin's employers was Imperial College London[14].
  • William Henry Perkin was educated at Royal College of Chemistry[15].
  • William Henry Perkin's doctoral advisor was Johannes Wislicenus[16].
  • William Henry Perkin received the Fellow of the Royal Society[17].
  • William Henry Perkin received the Royal Medal[18].
  • William Henry Perkin received the Perkin Medal[19].
  • William Henry Perkin received the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal[20].
  • William Henry Perkin received the Lavoisier Medal[21].
  • William Henry Perkin received the Albert Medal[22].
  • William Henry Perkin was a member of Royal Society[23].
  • William Henry Perkin was a member of Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities[24].
  • William Henry Perkin was influenced by August Wilhelm von Hofmann[25].
  • William Henry Perkin is recorded as male[26].
  • William Henry Perkin's instance of is recorded as human[27].

Body

Origins and Family

William Henry Perkin's place of birth was London[2]. He was born on March 12, 1838[3].

Education

William Henry Perkin was educated at Royal College of Chemistry[15]. His doctoral advisor was Johannes Wislicenus[16].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include chemist[6], inventor[7], and businessperson[8]. William Henry Perkin's field of work was organic chemistry[13]. He was employed by Imperial College London[14].

Recognition

Awards received include Fellow of the Royal Society[17], a fellowship award[28], in United Kingdom[29]; Royal Medal[18], a science award[30], in United Kingdom[31], founded in 1826[32]; Perkin Medal[19], a chemistry award[33], in United States[34], founded in 1906[35]; August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal[20], a science award[36]; Lavoisier Medal[21], a medallion[37], in France[38]; and Albert Medal[22], a medallion[39], in United Kingdom[40], founded in 1864[41].

Personal Life

Children include William Henry Perkin[10], a chemist[42], 1860–1929[43], of United Kingdom[44], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[45], specialised in organic chemistry[46] and Arthur George Perkin[11], a chemist[47], 1861–1937[48], of United Kingdom[49], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[50].

Death and Burial

William Henry Perkin died on July 14, 1907[5]. He passed away in London Borough of Harrow[4]. The cause of death was pneumonia[51].

Works and Contributions

Things named for William Henry Perkin include Perkin reaction[52], an eponymous chemical reaction[53]; Perkin Medal[54], a chemistry award[55], in United States[56], founded in 1906[57]; Perkin rearrangement[58], an eponymous chemical reaction[59]; and Perkin Prize for Organic Chemistry[60], an award[61], founded in 2008[62].

Why It Matters

William Henry Perkin ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (91 views/month, #7,210 of 1,000,298).[9] He has Wikipedia articles in 23 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[63] He is known by 18 alternative names across languages and contexts.[64]

He is credited with the discovery of mauveine[65], a group of stereoisomers[66]. Entities named for him include Perkin reaction[52], an eponymous chemical reaction[53]; Perkin Medal[54], a chemistry award[55], in United States[56], founded in 1906[57]; Perkin rearrangement[58], an eponymous chemical reaction[59]; and Perkin Prize for Organic Chemistry[60], an award[61], founded in 2008[62].

FAQs

Where was William Henry Perkin born?

Born in London[2], William Henry Perkin…

Where did William Henry Perkin die?

William Henry Perkin passed away in London Borough of Harrow[4].

What did William Henry Perkin do for work?

William Henry Perkin worked as chemist[6], inventor[7], and businessperson[8].

Where did William Henry Perkin go to school?

William Henry Perkin was educated at Royal College of Chemistry[15].

What awards did William Henry Perkin receive?

Honors received include Fellow of the Royal Society[17], Royal Medal[18], Perkin Medal[19], and August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal[20].

What did William Henry Perkin discover?

William Henry Perkin is credited as discoverer of mauveine[65].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . wikidata.org.
  3. [26] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [12] . wikidata.org.
  5. [27] . wikidata.org.
  6. [10] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  7. [11] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  8. [15] . wikidata.org.
  9. [13] . wikidata.org.
  10. [6] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  11. [7] . wikidata.org.
  12. [8] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [14] . wikidata.org.
  14. [17] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  15. [18] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  16. [19] . sci-america.org. sci-america.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  17. [20] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  18. [21] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  19. [22] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. thersa.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  20. [16] . wikidata.org.
  21. [23] . wikidata.org.
  22. [24] . wikidata.org.
  23. [51] . wikidata.org.
  24. [3] . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [5] . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [25] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [65] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [52] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [54] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [58] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [60] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [63] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [64] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). William Henry Perkin. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-henry-perkin
MLA “William Henry Perkin.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-henry-perkin.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_william-henry-perkin_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{William Henry Perkin}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-henry-perkin}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 13d ago · Quesotiotyo · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Given name William
    Field of work organic chemistry
    Instance of human
    Sex or gender male
    + 30 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14397]]: 6518, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/258229|batch #258229]]"
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