John Anderson (natural philosopher)
John Anderson FSAScot | |
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Born | |
Died | 13 January 1796 | (aged 69)
John Anderson
Early life and career
Anderson was born at the manse at Rosneath, Dunbartonshire, the son of Margaret Turner (d. 1784) and Rev James Anderson[2][3][4] His father and grandfather were prominent ministers of the church. After his father's death he was raised by his aunt in Stirling, where he attended grammar school.[3]
He graduated with an MA from the University of Glasgow in 1745.[3]
During the
From 1755-57 he was Professor of Ecclesiastical History in the University of Glasgow, and from 1757 to 1796 Professor of Natural Philosophy. He is the longest-serving natural philosophy lecturer during the 18th century.[5]
A leading scientist
In 1760, Anderson was appointed to the more congenial post of professor of natural philosophy at the University of Glasgow. He began to concentrate on
Anderson also wrote the pioneering textbook Institutes of Physics published in 1786, which went through five editions in ten years. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and this brought him into contact with many of the leading scientists of the day.[3]
A pioneer of vocational education for working people
His greatest love though was in providing "useful learning" to the working class, especially in the application of science to industry. He did this alongside his University duties, by providing non-academic lectures for artisans during the evenings. In these popular lectures he concentrated on experiments and demonstrations, and from his predilection for setting off explosions and fireworks, he acquired the nickname "Jolly Jack Phosphorus".[7]
Radical politics
Anderson was also known for his
Founder of a university
Building on the lectures for artisans, he
John Anderson died in Glasgow at the age of 69.[10][11] He is buried with his grandfather in Ramshorn Cemetery on Ingram Street in Glasgow. On 13 January 1996 representatives from the University of Glasgow laid a wreath to mark the bicentennial of Anderson's death.[12]
References
- ISBN 978-0-902198-84-5. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 October 2006. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ ISBN 090219884X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2015.)
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- Chambers's Encyclopædia. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 1, p. 409.
- ISBN 978-0271035253.
- ^ "University of Glasgow :: Story :: Biography of John Anderson". universitystory.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ Morrell, J.B. (April 1975). "The Leslie Affair: Careers, Kirk and Politics in Edinburgh in 1805". Scottish Historical Review. 54 (157): 72. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Anderson, William (1867). The Scottish Nation: Or, The Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours, and Biographical History of the People of Scotland. A. Fullarton & Company. p. 130.
John Anderson (natural philosopher) In 1791 he invented a new type of six-pound gun,.
- ^ "Discover Glasgow | Schools - Strathclyde University". discoverglasgow.org. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Significant Scots: John Anderson FRS at ElectricScotland.com retrieved 31 October 2007.
- ^ "FREE Scottish family tree inscriptions and links from HappyHaggis". happyhaggis.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
Further reading
- Chambers, Robert; Thomson, Thomas Napier (1857). . A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen. Vol. 1. Glasgow: Blackie and Son. pp. 60–62 – via Wikisource.
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. II (9th ed.). 1878. p. 14. .
- Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 01. 1885. pp. 383–384. .
External links
- Media related to John Anderson (natural philosopher) at Wikimedia Commons