The Dictionary of Australasian Biography/Pirani, Frederick Joy
Pirani, Frederick Joy, M.A., C.E., was born in Birmingham, England, in Dec. 1850. He arrived in Victoria in 1859, and went to the Church of England Grammar School, then under Dr. Bromley, in 1863. After being first in both classics and mathematics at the school, he matriculated at the Melbourne University in 1869, gaining the exhibitions for classics and mathematics. He studied in the schools of arts and engineering, obtained the degree of C.E. in 1870 and graduated as B.A. in 1871 and as M.A. in 1873. For some time he practised as a civil engineer, but he eventually accepted the position of assistant lecturer to the late Professor W. P. Wilson (q.v.),[1] on whose death in 1874 he was appointed acting Professor of Mathematics until the arrival of Professor Nanson. He was then appointed Lecturer in Logic and Natural Philosophy. He took a keen interest in the Royal Society of Victoria, of which he was Secretary for several years, and before which he read several papers, some of which appeared in the Society's Transactions. In conjunction with Professor H. M. Andrew (q.v.) he wrote a treatise on elementary geometry. It is understood that had he lived a few months longer he would have been promoted to the new Chair of Natural Philosophy at the University which the council had decided to establish. On June 7th, 1881, he married Miss Marian Kennick, and on July 30th in the same year he was thrown from his horse, sustaining injuries which proved fatal on August 6th.
- ↑ This person does not seem to appear in the work. (Wikisource contributor note)