James Clarke-Maxwwell, yes, bhut he was more of a mathematician, wasn't he, even though he was way ahead of his time, creating equations or something which turned out to be just what was needed for quantum mechanics.
James Glaisher would be a good candidate for me at the moment - 'The Weather Experiment' by Peter Moor, he is one of the main characters in the search for an understanding of the weather and and analysis of it. He discovered what dew is and its dew point amongst his other prolific work and reports etc.