William Gordon

Background

Gordon was born at Fountains Hall near Ripon, in Yorkshire, England on 2 August 1800 and educated at the Grammar School in Ripon.

Education

He further studied medicine at London and Edinburgh, and set up a medical practice at Welton in Northumberland. In 1832 he was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, and completed his Doctor of Medicine

Career

On leaving school he was articled to a general practitioner at Otley. in 1841. Settling in Hull as a fully qualified physician, he became closely involved with Christian movements and as an active advocate of many of the claims put forwards by the working classes, became known as "the poor man"s friend". Towards the end of his life Gordon became president of the Hull Christian Temperance Society.

A public subscription monument was raised over his grave in his honour.

Ob. February 7 1849.

Achievements

• When only four years old he taught her elements of Latin and botany, and thought it a disgrace that the education of ladies should be merely that of superficial accomplishments, sending her to London for an education and writing to her every day enclosing botanical specimens.