George Adam Smith | |
|---|---|
 George Adam Smith in 1895 | |
| Principal of theUniversity of Aberdeen | |
| In office 1909–1935 | |
| Preceded by | Reverend John Marshall Lang |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Hamilton Fyfe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1856-10-19)19 October 1856 Calcutta, India |
| Died | 2 March 1942(1942-03-02) (aged 85) Balerno,Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7, includingAlick, Baron Balerno andJanet |
| Education | Royal High School, Edinburgh |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Profession | Theologian |
Sir George Adam SmithFRSE, FBA (19 October 1856 – 3 March 1942) was a Scottish theologian. He was thePrincipal of the University of Aberdeen between 1909 and 1935 and an important figure in theUnited Free Church of Scotland.
He was born inCalcutta, where his father,George Smith,C.I.E., was then Principal of theDoveton College, a boys' school inMadras.[1] His mother was Janet Colquhoun Smith (née Adam).[2] By 1870 the family had returned toScotland and were living at Scagore House inSeafield, Edinburgh.
He was educated atEdinburgh in theRoyal High School.[1] He then studied Divinity at theUniversity of Edinburgh and theNew College, graduating MA in 1875.[citation needed]
After studying for summer semesters as a postgraduate at theUniversity of Tübingen (1876) and theUniversity of Leipzig (1878) and travelling inEgypt andSyria, he was ordained into theFree Church of Scotland in 1882 and served at the Queen's Cross Free Church inAberdeen.[3]
In 1892 he was appointed Professor of Hebrew[4] andOld Testament subjects in theFree Church College atGlasgow. In 1900 (at its creation) he moved from the Free Church of Scotland to theUnited Free Church of Scotland.[1][5]
In 1909, he was appointed Principal and Vice Chancellor of theUniversity of Aberdeen, a post he held until his retirement in 1935. He was elected aFellow of the British Academy in 1916, and wasknighted in the same year.[6]
He served asModerator of the General Assembly of the United Free Church of Scotland in 1916-17.[7]
In 1917, he was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers wereJohn Horne,Cargill Gilston Knott,Ben Peach andJohn Sutherland Black.[8]
He was appointed aChaplain-in-Ordinary to KingGeorge V in 1933,[9] and reappointed by KingEdward VIII[10] and KingGeorge VI.[11]
From 1924 to 1938 he was Patron of theSeven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen.[12]
He died at home, "Sweethillocks" inBalerno south-west ofEdinburgh on 3 March 1942. He is buried with his wife and children in the north-east corner ofCurrie Cemetery in south-westEdinburgh.[citation needed]
In 1889 he married Alice Lillian Buchanan (1866-1949), daughter ofSir George Buchanan MD FRS.[13] They had seven children:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Smith, George Adam".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 261.| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Principal and Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Aberdeen 1909—1935 | Succeeded by |
