John McColl "Jack" Bremner (January 18, 1922 – July 25, 2007) was a soil scientist and agronomy professor at Iowa State University. An expert on the chemical composition of soil, he was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

John M. Bremner
Born(1922-01-18)January 18, 1922
DiedJuly 25, 2007(2007-07-25) (aged 85)
Scientific career
FieldsSoil science
InstitutionsIowa State University

Biography edit

Bremner grew up in Dumbarton, Scotland and attended Dumbarton Academy.[1] The son of a World War I veteran, Bremner had four older brothers and an older sister.[2]

After earning an undergraduate degree at the University of Glasgow, he completed two doctorates from the University of London - one in chemistry and another in soil science. Bremner spent several years at the Rothamsted Experimental Station, and then he became a faculty member at Iowa State University from 1959 to 1992.[3] He had been named the Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture in 1975.[1] He conducted research into the nitrogen and sulfur content of soil.[4]

Bremner met his wife Mary at Rothamsted and they had two children.[2][5] He was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1972 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1984.[4] Bremner also received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1970.[6]

He retired from Iowa State in 1992.[3][2] He died in 2007 at his home in Palm Desert, California.[5] He was survived by his wife and two children.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "J. M. Bremner". Iowa State University. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Biographical Memoirs: John Bremner 1922 - 2007" (PDF). National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "John M. Bremner". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "John M. Bremner Papers". Iowa State University. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "John "Jack" Bremner". British Society of Soil Science. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  6. ^ "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates". www1.hw.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2016-04-07.

External links edit