Academic Background
James Clerk Maxwell was born on June 13, 1831, at 14 India Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. Having a keen intellect from childhood, he had one of his geometry papers presented at the Royal Society of Edinburgh during his adolescence. By 16 he'd enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, pursuing a fervent interest in optics and color research. He studied there for three years and eventually attended Cambridge University's Trinity College, graduating in 1854. After teaching at Trinity for a time, Maxwell moved on to Marischal College as part of the physics faculty. He wed Katherine Mary Dewar in 1858.