William Christie

Who was William Christie?

Sir William Henry Mahoney Christie FRS was a British astronomer.

He was born in Woolwich, London, the son of Samuel Hunter Christie and educated at King's College School, King's College London, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was fourth wrangler in 1868 and elected a fellow of Trinity in 1869.

Having been Chief Assistant at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich from 1870 to 1881, he was appointed to replace George Airy as Astronomer Royal in 1881 and remained in office until 1910. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1904. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1881. He was president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1888 to 1890.

The first Astronomer Royal to retire at 65, Christie died and was buried at sea near Gibraltar in 1922. He had married in 1881 Mary Violette, daughter of Sir Alfred Hickman.