James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) came from a middle class Edinburgh family. He is ranked with Newton and Einstein for the fundamental nature of his many contributions to physics. Most importantly, he originated the concept of electromagnetic radiation and his field equations (1873) led to Einstein's special theory of relativity, It is ironic that when in 1860 the University of Aberdeen was formed by a merger between King's College and Marischal College where he held a post, Maxwell was "redundant". He applied at the University of Edinburgh, but was turned down in favor of another. He found it necessary to move to London's King's College. In 1871, Maxwell was appointed the first Cavendish professor of experimental physics at Cambridge. Maxwell died at forty-nine after a short illness. He was buried in Scotland in the family plot; there were no public honors at his passing.