# Alexander Anderson (physicist)

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{{Short description|Irish physicist and university president}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2020}}
'''Alexander Anderson''' (12 May 1858 – 7 September 1936) was an [Irish](/source/Irish_people) physicist and President of Queen's College Galway, now the [University of Galway](/source/University_of_Galway), from 1899 until 1934. In [electrical engineering](/source/electrical_engineering) he is known for [Anderson's bridge](/source/Anderson's_bridge). He is credited with being the first physicist to consider black holes as real physical entities, in a 1920 paper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nuigalway.ie/royalvisit/interestingfacts/|title=Interesting Facts And History About NUI Galway|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530092139/http://www.nuigalway.ie/royalvisit/interestingfacts/|archivedate=30 May 2015}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Alexander Anderson was born on 12 May 1858, the son of Daniel Anderson, of Camus, [Coleraine](/source/Coleraine), [County Londonderry](/source/County_Londonderry). He was educated at Queen's College Galway, where he won a first-year scholarship in the Science Division of the Faculty of Arts and the [Sir Robert Peel](/source/Sir_Robert_Peel) Prize in Geometry in 1876. He was awarded gold medals on the results of his B.A. examination in 1880, and his M.A. examination in 1881. He then won first place in an open examination for a scholarship to [Sidney Sussex College](/source/Sidney_Sussex_College) at [Cambridge](/source/Cambridge) from which he graduated BA (6th wrangler) in 1884. He was later awarded MA in 1888.<ref name=irish_bio>{{cite web|url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/anderson-alexander-a0137 |title=Anderson, Alexander|publisher= Dictionary of Irish Biography|access-date=13 November 2022}}</ref>

==Career==
In 1885, Anderson returned to Queen's College Galway, where he was appointed [Professor](/source/Professor) of [Natural Philosophy](/source/Natural_Philosophy), a post he held until 1934. He was elected a Fellow of the [Royal University of Ireland](/source/Royal_University_of_Ireland) in 1886, and a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, in 1891. He was appointed President of Queen's College Galway on the resignation of Professor [W. J. M. Starkie](/source/W._J._M._Starkie) in 1899.<ref name=irish_bio/>

Anderson was conferred with an honorary [LL.D.](/source/Legum_Doctor) by the [University of Glasgow](/source/University_of_Glasgow) in 1901. He served as a Senator of both the Royal University of Ireland, and its successor, the [National University of Ireland](/source/National_University_of_Ireland), and as a member of the Dublin Commissioners appointed under the [Irish Universities Act 1908](/source/Irish_Universities_Act_1908). He was [Vice-Chancellor](/source/Chancellor_(education)) of the National University of Ireland in 1915 and 1920.

He retired as President of the College in 1934, and died in September 1936.<ref name=irish_bio/>

==Personal life==
Anderson married Miss Emily Binns, of [Galway](/source/Galway). His daughter, [Emily Anderson](/source/Emily_Anderson), was a Professor of [German](/source/German_language), [music historian](/source/Music_history) and noted [cryptanalyst](/source/Cryptanalysis).

==References==
{{reflist}}

*Obituary, ''The Irish Times'', 7 September 1936
*[http://www.nuigalway.ie/about/history.php History, National University of Ireland, Galway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060429021920/http://www.nuigalway.ie/about/history.php |date=29 April 2006 }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-aca}}
{{s-bef|before = [W. J. M. Starkie](/source/W._J._M._Starkie)}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [President of Queen's College Galway](/source/University_of_Galway)
       |years  = 1899–1934}}
{{s-aft|after  = [John Hynes](/source/John_Hynes_(priest))}}
{{s-end}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Alexander}}
Category:1858 births
Category:1936 deaths
Category:Academics of the University of Galway
Category:Presidents of the University of Galway
Category:Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Category:Fellows of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Category:Irish physicists
Category:People from Coleraine, County Londonderry
Category:Scientists from County Londonderry

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