# Alexander Christison

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{{Short description|Scottish educator and mathematician}}
thumb|Alexander Christison.
{{for|his physician grandson|Sir Alexander Christison}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
thumb|300px|The grave of Alexander Christison, Greyfriars Kirkyard

'''Alexander Christison''' [FRSE](/source/FRSE) (1751–1820) was a [Scottish](/source/Scottish_people) educator, [Professor of Humanity](/source/Professor_of_Classics_(Edinburgh)) at the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh), and mathematician during the [Scottish Enlightenment](/source/Scottish_Enlightenment).

==Life==
He was born in 1753, at Redpath House, [Longformacus](/source/Longformacus), [Berwickshire](/source/Berwickshire). He was the eldest of seven children to a tenant sheep-farmer in the [Lammermuir Hills](/source/Lammermuir_Hills).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.classicsandclass.info/product/204/|title=Classics & Class » Alexander Christison: The Lammermuir Latinist.|date=9 November 2015 }}</ref>

After a local education he began employment as the local schoolteacher for the parish of [Edrom](/source/Edrom) before attending the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh) to study Classics, graduating in 1775. This background gave him access to teach at a higher calibre of school and he taught both at [George Watson’s College](/source/George_Watson%E2%80%99s_College), [Dalkeith Grammar School](/source/Dalkeith_Grammar_School) and the [High School in Edinburgh](/source/Royal_High_School%2C_Edinburgh).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.royalsoced.org.uk |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124115814/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf |archive-date=24 January 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 1780s he lived at Alexander's Land in the Bristo area.<ref>Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1784-1785</ref>

He was elected a Fellow of the [Royal Society of Edinburgh](/source/Royal_Society_of_Edinburgh) in 1800 his main proposer being the physician, [James Gregory](/source/James_Gregory_(physician)). He trained under [John Hill](/source/John_Hill_(classicist)) at the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh) and graduated MA in 1806, and from that date he served as professor of humanity at the university.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collections.ed.ac.uk/art/record/535|title = "John Hill"}}</ref>

He died in Edinburgh on 25 June 1820 and is buried in [Greyfriars Kirkyard](/source/Greyfriars_Kirkyard) in the city centre. He is buried in the plot of [Professor George Dunbar](/source/George_Dunbar_(classical_scholar)) at the north-west section of the western extension. He is also memorialised on [Robert Christison's](/source/Robert_Christison) grave at New Calton.

==Family==
Christison's son was Scottish toxicologist [Robert Christison](/source/Robert_Christison) and Scottish minister (another) Alexander Chistison. His grandchildren included [Sir Alexander Christison](/source/Sir_Alexander_Christison).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.collections.ed.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/86771|title=Papers of the Christison Family|work=Archives Online|publisher=University of Edinburgh|access-date=2024-05-10}}</ref> and the Australian explorer and pastoralist [Robert Christison](/source/Robert_Christison_(pastoralist)).<ref>{{Citation|last=Allingham|first=E. M.|title=Christison, Robert (1837–1915)|url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/christison-robert-222|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography|place=Canberra|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|language=en|access-date=2021-11-19}}</ref>

==Publications==
*''On the General Diffusion of Knowledge'' (1802) in which he said "genius is no respecter of ranks"

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Christison, Alexander}}
Category:1751 births
Category:1820 deaths
Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Category:Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard
Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh

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