List of Presidents of the Royal Society

The President of the Royal Society (PRS) is the elected head of the Royal Society in London . The current president (as of 2017) is Venkatraman Ramakrishnan .

The position is awarded to a member of the British Commonwealth scientific community for a period of five years. It is one of the highest honors a scientist can be awarded. The presidents take office on a weekday around November 30th, the anniversary of the Royal Society.

William Brouncker

list

17th century

• 1662–1677 William Brouncker, 2nd Viscount Brouncker
• 1677–1680 Sir Joseph Williamson
• 1680-1682 Sir Christopher Wren
• 1682–1683 Sir John Hoskyns, 2nd Baronet
• 1683–1684 Sir Cyril Wyche
• 1684–1686 Samuel Pepys
• 1686-1689 John Vaughan, 3rd Earl of Carbery
• 1689–1690 Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke
• 1690–1695 Sir Robert Southwell (1635–1702)
• 1695–1698 Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax

18th century

• 1698–1703 John Somers, 1st Baron Somers
• 1703-1727 Sir Isaac Newton
• 1727–1741 Sir Hans Sloane, baronet
• 1741-1752 Martin Folkes
• 1752–1764 George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield
• 1764-1768 James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton
• 1768–1768 Sir James Burrow
• 1768–1772 James West (1703–1772)
• 1772–1772 Sir James Burrow
• 1772–1778 Sir John Pringle, baronet

19th century

• 1778–1820 Sir Joseph Banks, baronet
• 1820–1820 William Hyde Wollaston
• 1820–1827 Sir Humphry Davy, Baronet
• 1827-1830 Davies Gilbert
• 1830–1838 Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex
• 1838–1848 Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton
• 1848–1854 William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse
• 1854-1858 John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley
• 1858–1861 Sir Benjamin Collins Brodle, 1st Baronet
• 1861–1871 Sir Edward Sabine
• 1871–1873 Sir George Biddell Airy
• 1873-1878 Joseph Dalton Hooker
• 1878-1883 William Spottiswoode
• 1883–1885 Thomas Henry Huxley
• 1885–1890 Sir George Gabriel Stokes, 1st Baronet
• 1890–1895 William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin
• 1895–1900 Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister

20th century

• 1900–1905 Sir William Huggins
• 1905-1908 John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh
• 1908–1913 Sir Archibald Geikie
• 1913–1915 Sir William Crookes
• 1915–1920 Sir Joseph John Thomson
• 1920–1925 Sir Charles Scott Sherrington
• 1925–1930 Ernest Rutherford , 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson
• 1930–1935 Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins
• 1935–1940 Sir William Henry Bragg
• 1940–1945 Sir Henry Hallett Dale
• 1945–1950 Sir Robert Robinson
• 1950–1955 Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian
• 1955–1960 Sir Cyril Hinshelwood
• 1960-1965 Sir Howard Florey
• 1965-1970 Patrick Blackett, Baron Blackett
• 1970–1975 Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin
• 1975–1980 Alexander Todd, Baron Todd of Trumpington
• 1980–1985 Sir Andrew Fielding Huxley
• 1985–1990 George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham
• 1990-1995 Sir Michael Atiyah
• 1995-2000 Sir Aaron Klug

21st century

• 2000-2005 Robert May, Baron May of Oxford
• 2005-2010 Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow
• 2010–2015 Sir Paul Nurse
• since 2015 Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

Web links

• Presidents of the Royal Society ( Memento June 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive )