Thomas Arthur Rickard

T. A. Rickard (1864 – 1935), formally known as Thomas Arthur Rickard was born on 29 August 1864[1] in Italy. Rickard's parents were British and he became a Mining Engineer practising in the United States, Europe and Australia. He was also a publisher and author on mine engineering subjects.[2]

Thomas Arthur Rickard
Born	29 August 1864 Crotone, Italy
Died	15 August 1953 Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Mining Engineer
Spouse(s)	Marguerite Lydia Rickard (1877-1955)
Children	Thomas Jr. (1901–1919) John (1904–1979)
Parent(s)	Thomas Rickard (1834-1916) Octavia Rachel Forbes (1837-1879)

Biography

Family and education

Thomas Arthur Rickard was born in Crotone, Italy, the son of Thomas Rickard, a Cornish mining engineer. His grandfather was a Cornish miner, Captain James Rickard.[3] His cousin Tom Rickard was Mayor of Berkley in 1906 at the time of the San Francisco earthquake and fire. He was educated in Russia and England.[2] In 1882 Rickard entered the Royal School of Mines, London from which he graduated in 1885.[1]

Career

• 1885[1] Assayer, British mining firm, Idaho Springs, Colorado[2]
• 1886 Assistant Manager, California Gold Mining Co., Colorado[1]
• 1887 Manager, Union Gold Mine, San Andreas,[1] Calaveras County, California[2]
• 1889-1891[1] Consultant investigating mines in England and Australia[2]
• 1891[1] In charge, Silver/Lead[2]/Gold[1] mines, French Alps[2]/Isere district[1]
• 1892-1893 Investigating mines in Western U.S.A.
• 1894 Manager, Enterprise Mine, Colorado[1]
• 1895-1901[1] State Geologist, Colorado - appointed by Governor McIntyre & re-appointed by the next two Governors[2]
• 1897-1898 Consultant investigating mines in Australia and Canada and other work.[1]
• 1903 Editor-in-chief, Engineering and Mining Journal, New York[1][2]
  • In 1903 W.E. Ford published an article in the American Journal of Science naming a new mineral Rickardite after Rickard.[4]
• 1905 purchased Mining and Scientific Press, San Francisco[2]
• 1906-1909[1] Editor, Mining and Scientific Press, San Francisco[1][2]
• 1909-1915 Founding Editor, Mining Magazine, London[1]
• 1915-1922 Editor, Mining and Scientific Press, San Francisco[1]
• 1922-1925 contributing editor, Engineering and Mining Journal, following the amalgamation of Mining and Scientific Press with that Journal[1]
• 1925- Devoted his time to writing[1]

Death

Rickard died in Oak Bay, British Columbia on 15 August[1] 1953.[2]

Memberships and Awards

• Institution of Mining and Metallurgy
  • 1896 elected Member
  • 1903-1909 Member of Council
  • 1932 awarded Gold Medal "in recognition of his services in the general advancement of mining engineering, with special reference to his contributions to technical and historical literature"
  • 1948 made Honorary Member "in recognition of his long and valued services to the mining and metallurgical profession and to the Institution"[1]
• Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
  • Member[1]
• University of Colorado
  • Honorary D.Sc.[1]
• Royal School of Mines (Old Students’) Association
  • 1913 Founder
  • First Honorary Secretary[1]
• American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers[1] (AIME)
  • 1935 made Honorary Member[2]

Published works

• ‘Minerals which accompany gold and their bearing upon the richness of ore deposits’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 6, 1897-8
• ‘Cripple Creek goldfield’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 8, 1899-1900
• A guide to technical writing (1908)
• ‘Standardization of English in technical literature’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 19, 1909–10
• ‘Domes of Nova Scotia’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 21, 1911–12
• ‘Persistence of ore in depth’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 24, 1914–15
• ‘The later Argonauts‘ Trans I.M.M., vol. 36, 1926-7
• ‘Copper mining in Cyprus’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 39, 1929–30
• ‘Gold and silver as money metal’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 41, 1931-32[1]
• Man and Metals (1932)[2]
• A History of American Mining. New York & London: McGraw-Hill (1932)[2][5]^:365
• ‘The primitive smelting of copper and bronze’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 44, 1934–35
• ‘The primitive use of gold’ Trans I.M.M., vol. 44, 1934–35
• Retrospect (1937) - his autobiography[1]
• "Indian Participation in the Gold Discoveries." British Columbia Historical Quarterly 2:1 (1938): 3-18[5]^:374
• The Romance of Mining. Toronto: Macmillan (1944)[1][5]^:365
• Historic Backgrounds of British Columbia. Vancouver: Wrigley Printing (1948)[1][5]^:365
• Autumn Leaves. Vancouver: Wrigley Printing (1948)[5]^:365

References

1. "Thomas Arthur Rickard". Trans I.M.M. 63: 503–504. 1953–54. Archived from the original on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
2. "T. A. Rickard (Deceased 1953)". American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers. AIME. Archived from the original on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
3. Payton, Philip (2005). The Cornish Overseas: A History of Cornwall's 'great Emigration'. Fowey: Cornwall Editions. p. 388. ISBN 9781904880042. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
4. "Rickardite". Mindat.org. Archived from the original on 2019-07-02. Retrieved 1 December 2019. Ford, W.E. (1903) Rickardite, a new mineral. American Journal of Science: 165: 69-70.
5. Marshall, Daniel Patrick (2000). Claiming the land: Indians, goldseekers, and the rush to British Columbia (PhD). University of British Columbia. Archived from the original on 2019-12-03. Retrieved 3 December 2019.