Eugene Emil F. R. Haanel, Professor of Chemistry and Physics in Victoria College,and one of the best educated men in the Physical Sciences in Ontario, is a native of Breslau, Silesia, a son of Franz and Ann (Herde) Haanel, and was born May 24, 1841. His father is a Government officer, occupying the position of Secretary of the Council. The Haanels were originally from Sweden, the great grandfather of Franz Haanel, leaving that country on account of his politics.
The subject of this sketch commenced his studies at four years of age, and was graduated at the Gymnasium in his native city in 1858. Soon afterwards he went to the United States; was in Baltimore, Md., when the civil war commenced between the Northern and Southern States in the spring of 1861; he joined the Union army, and spent three years as a hospital steward, and one year as First Lieutenant, Company K, Second Regiment Maryland Veteran Infantry, serving in that capacity when the war closed in April, 1865.
Soon afterwards he became a student at the Michigan State University, Ann Arbor; in 1866, became Assistant Professor of Natural Science at Adrian (Michigan) College; the next year held the same situation in Hillsdale College, same State; in 1868 was appointed Professor of the same department in Albion College, also in that State, and occupied that chair for four years.
While in the United States Professor Haanel became naturalized, and repeatedly exercised his civil rights at the polls.
In 1872 he returned to Germany, and on the 7th of June, 1873, took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Royal University, Breslau. He came directly to Cobourg to fill the chair already mentioned. His coming caused the erection of Faraday Hall, in 1876, a brick building 50 by 100 feet, admirably arranged for his purposes, and which is used exclusively by him. It is no doubt the best building of the kind and was the first in the Dominion of Canada, and thoroughly equipped with apparatus selected by the Professor himself in the cities of London, Paris, Bonn, Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin.
During Prof. Haanel’s residence at the University at Breslau for the purpose of graduating, he took for his thesis “the galvanometric method for the determination of the earth’s magnetism and its oscilations “for which he had constructed in accordance with his original designs, an instrument termed the” galvanic bifilar magnetometer,” which at this day constitutes the principal instrument for observation at the magnetic observatory connected with the University of Breslau.
Though a German, Professor Haanel speaks the English language with eloquence as well as fluency; is clear and concise, as well as accurate, in his enunciations; and an attractive lecturer, a successful experimenter, and laborious, untiring and enthusiastic in his work.
Though thoroughly wedded to science, Professor Haanel “took a notion” on the 5th of November, 1866, to wed Miss Julia F. Darling, of Lake Ridge, Mich., a graduate of Albion College, and they have five subjects for education.