KIDSON, EDWARD (1883-1939) was born at Bilston, England, came to New Zealand as a child with his father Charles Kidson, and commenced his education at Nelson College (1896-1900). He won a junior scholarship and a Sir George Grey scholarship, and proceeded to Canterbury College, where he graduated (B.Sc. 1904; M.Sc. 1905; B.A. 1906; M.A. 1907; D.Sc. 1924). In 1905 he was appointed assistant magnetic observer at Christchurch under the Lands and Survey department. Three years later he joined the staff of the Carnegie Institution at Washington, and until 1914 worked on magnetic surveys in South America, Newfoundland, and Australia. In the war he served with the Royal Engineers (1915-18) forecasting and applying meteorology to gunnery at Salonika. (O.B.E.). He was then appointed to the Watheroo observatory in West Australia, and in 1921 became assistant director of the Commonwealth meteorological service. In 1927 he became director of the meteorological services in New Zealand, which during his administration developed rapidly to meet the increasing demands of aviation. Kidson presented at scientific conferences papers on his observations, and spent much time in the preparation of critical studies of the meteorological results of the Shackleton and Mawson Antarctic expeditions. He was a fellow of the Institute of Physics and of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and was in 1931 elected a member of the International Meteorological Committee. Kidson married (1919) Isabel M. Dann. He died on 12 Jun 1939.

Who's Who N.Z., 1932; The Dominion and Evening Post, 13 Jun 1939 (P).

Reference: Volume 1, page 249

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