William Morgan

This biography explains William Morgan's role in developing the mathematics that underpin the money management of pension funds. It focuses also on the experiment in which Morgan created an X-ray tube, and examines his outspoken political views and turbulent private life.

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To meet William Morgan is to encounter the eighteenth-century world of finance, science and politics. Born in Bridgend in 1750, his heritage was Welsh but his influence extended far beyond national borders, and the legacy of his work continues to shape life in the twenty-first century. Aged only twenty-five and with no formal training, Morgan became actuary at the Equitable, which was then a fledgling life assurance company. Known today as 'the father of actuarial science', his pioneering work earned him the Copley Medal, the Royal Society's most prestigious award. His interests covered a wider scientific field, and his papers on electrical experiments show that he unwittingly constructed the first X-ray tube. Politically radical, Morgan's outspoken views put him at risk of imprisonment during Pitt's Reign of Terror. Using unpublished family letters, this biography explores Morgan's turbulent private life, and cover his outstanding public achievements.