# Alexander Chalmers

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{{Short description|Scottish writer}}
{{For|a mayor|Alexander Chalmers (mayor)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Alexander Chalmers
| image       = Alexander Chalmers.jpg
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| birth_date  = 29 March 1759 
| birth_place = [Aberdeen](/source/Aberdeen), Scotland
| death_date  = {{death date and age text|29 December 1834|29 March 1759}}
| death_place = [London](/source/London), England
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| known_for   = Biography
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| occupation  = Writer
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'''Alexander Chalmers''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɑː|m|ər|z}};<ref>{{Cite Dictionary.com|Chalmers}}</ref> 29 March 1759 – 29 December 1834) was a [Scottish](/source/Scotland) writer.

He was born in [Aberdeen](/source/Aberdeen).
Trained as a doctor, he gave up medicine for [journalism](/source/journalism), and was for some time editor of the ''Morning Herald''. Besides editions of the works of [William Shakespeare](/source/William_Shakespeare), [James Beattie](/source/James_Beattie_(writer)), [Henry Fielding](/source/Henry_Fielding), [Samuel Johnson](/source/Samuel_Johnson), [Joseph Warton](/source/Joseph_Warton), [Alexander Pope](/source/Alexander_Pope), [Edward Gibbon](/source/Edward_Gibbon), and [Henry St John, Viscount Bolingbroke](/source/Henry_St_John%2C_Viscount_Bolingbroke), he published ''[A General Biographical Dictionary](/source/Alexander_Chalmers'_General_Biographical_Dictionary)'' in 32 volumes (1812&ndash;1817); a ''Glossary to Shakspeare'' (1807); an edition of [George Steevens](/source/George_Steevens)'s ''Shakespeare'' (1809); and the ''British Essayists'', beginning with the ''Tatler'' and ending with the ''Observer'', with biographical and historical prefaces and a general index.

A quotation is often attributed to him: "The three grand essentials of happiness are: Something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for."<ref>On other sites and resources, this quote has been credited to an "Allan K. Chalmers". This quote has also, however, been attributed to [Joseph Addison](/source/Joseph_Addison), who lived from 1672–1719. The quote is actually by the American clergyman [George Washington Burnap](/source/George_Washington_Burnap) (1802–1859), published in Burnap's ''The Sphere and Duties of Woman: A Course of Lectures (1848)'', Lecture IV.</ref> His papers are held at the [National Library of Scotland](/source/National_Library_of_Scotland).<ref>{{UK National Archives ID|id=F46580}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{Cite DNB|first=Thompson|last=Cooper|wstitle=Chalmers, Alexander|volume=9}}
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Chalmers, Alexander|volume=5}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalmers, Alexander}}
Category:1759 births
Category:1834 deaths
Category:Scottish book editors
Category:Scottish journalists
Category:Writers from Aberdeen

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alexander Chalmers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Chalmers) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Chalmers?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.