William F. Hume

British geologist. He was born in Cheltenham, 1 October 1867, son of George H., Russia merchant. He received his early education in Russia and at College Galliard in Lausanne in Switzerland, and then attended the Royal College of Science, Kensington and Royal College of Mines in the University of London graduating BSc in Physical Geography and Geology in 1890. He began lecturing at the Royal College of Science in 1890 and received a doctorate (DSc) in 1893.

In 1897, he moved to Egypt to work on a huge geological survey of the whole country, and from 1911 until 1927 was Director of the entire Geological Survey of Egypt. He advised on water supply to the British army in Egypt during World War I. In 1927, he became Technical Counsellor to the Geological Survey, in order to concentrate on his Geology of Egypt (published in three volumes and six parts, the first two volumes being published 1925–1937, and the last volume posthumously in 1965). From 1927 until May 1939 he divided his time between Egypt and England.

In 1910, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He served as President of the Royal Geographical Society of Egypt 1926–1940, and as President of the Institute of Egypt in 1928. He died in Rustington, Sussex, 23 February 1949.