William_Purdie_Dickson
William Purdie Dickson
Scottish minister and theologian
William Purdie Dickson DD LLD (1823–1901) was a Scottish minister and theologian. He was Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow from 1873 to 1895. The William Dickson Prize is named in his honour.
William Purdie Dickson | |
|---|---|
| Professor of Divinity University of Glasgow | |
| In office 1873–1895 | |
| Preceded by | John Caird |
| Succeeded by | William Hastie |
| Professor of Biblical Criticism University of Glasgow | |
| In office 1863–1873 | |
| Succeeded by | William Stuart |
William Purdie Dickson was born 22 October 1823 in Pettinain, Lanarkshire, Scotland, the son of Rev George Dickson, the minister of Kilrenny in Fife.[1] The younger Dickson attended Lanark School and St. Andrews University. He was lincensed to preach as a Church of Scotland minister by the Presbytery of Linlithgow in 1845.[2]
He was ordained in Cameron, Fife, on 9 September 1851 and received a Doctor of Divinity from St. Andrews in 1865 and a Doctor of Laws (LLD) from Edinburgh University in 1885.[1]
In 1863 Dickson came to Glasgow, Scotland, as the Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow, a position he held until 1873.[3] From 1873 to 1895 he served as the professor of divinity[3] after which he was succeeded by William Hastie.[4][5]
Additionally, in 1866 he was also appointed the curator of the University of Glasgow Library.[3] In that capacity he rearranged the entire library inventory into a single alphabetical sequence and produced a complete catalogue and other finding aids.[3]
Dickson also translated several publications during his career, including Theodor Mommsen's History of Rome and Provinces of the Roman Empire.[3]
He was President of the Library Association in 1888 and Convener of the Education Committee of the Church of Scotland from 1875 to 1888.[3]
Dickson was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree from The University of Glasgow in 1896.[3]
The William Dickson Prize was founded at The University of Glasgow in 1895 by Dickson and his wife.[6] The prize is awarded annually to the most distinguished student in the College of Divinity.[6]
Dickson was married to Tassie Wardlaw Small on 7 December 1853 in Cameron, Fife, Scotland.[1] His wife was the daughter of John Small (1797-1847), acting Librarian of the University of Edinburgh, and the sister of John Small (1828-1886), who succeeded his father as Librarian. Dickson's wife and family were members of the Smalls of Dirnanean, Perthshire, Scotland. The couple had two daughters and a son.[1]
He lived his final years at 16 Victoria Crescent in the Dowanhill district of Glasgow.[7]
William Purdie Dickson died on 9 March 1901.[1]
- The Theological Chairs of the Scottish Universities (1883)
- The Glasgow University Library (1888)
- Hew Scott, and Donald Farquhar Macdonald (1928). Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae: The Succession of Ministers in the Church of Scotland from the Reformation, Volume 07. Oliver and Boyd, Scotland.
- Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae; vol. 7; by Hew Scott
- "The University of Glasgow — Biography". The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- "William Hastie". The University of Glasgow Story. University of Glasgow. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- General Assembly's Institution (1845-1907): Principals in 175th Year Commemoration Volume. Scottish Church College, April 2008, p. 568.
- "William Dickson Prize". The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- Glasgow Post Office Directory 1900
- Works by William Purdie Dickson at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about William Purdie Dickson at Internet Archive
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Professor of Divinity University of Glasgow 1873 - 1895 |
Succeeded by |