Andrew Peebles Aitken

Andrew Peebles Aitken FRSE FBSE (1843-1904) was a Scottish agricultural chemist remembered primarily for his research into fertiliser response times.

He laid the foundations of modern understanding of increased crop yields through the use of artificial fertilisers.

[1] He was born at 122 Rose St Edinburgh on 30 April 1843, the son of Mary Ann (née Smith) (1819-1890) and John Aitken (1814-1886) a cabinetmaker, the 3rd child of 12.

[2] His career began as assistant to Prof Alexander Crum Brown at the University of Edinburgh in 1875 he then moved to William Dick's Veterinary College as Professor of Chemistry and Toxicology.

His proposers were Alexander Crum Brown, Sir Thomas Richard Fraser, John Hutton Balfour and Andrew Douglas Maclagan.