{{Short description|British geographer, educator and geopolitician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''James Fairgrieve''' (1870 – 1953) was a British geographer, educator, and geopolitician. He is best known for his books ''Geography and World Power'' (1915) and ''Geography in School'' (1926).

==Biography== James Fairgrieve was born in 1870 in Scotland, son to a Scottish Presbyterian minister. His education was undertaken at Aberystwyth University, graduating in 1889, and then at Jesus College, Oxford, reading mathematics.<ref name="obit">{{cite journal |last=H. |first=R. C. |date=March 1954 |title=Obituary: James Fairgrieve 1870-1953 |journal=The Geographical Journal |volume=120 |issue=1 |pages=130 |jstor=1792027}}</ref>

Fairgrieve began his career teaching in Kelso at Kelso High School and Campbeltown in Scotland. He then moved to London, founding the New Southgate High School. In 1907, he became geography master at William Ellis School.<ref name="obit" />

Fairgrieve had no formal training in geography, but took part-time courses in geography at the London School of Economics. These courses were taught by geographer and geopolitician Halford Mackinder. From that point forward, Fairgrieve devoted his life's work to geography.<ref name="obit" />

Fairgrieve's career blossomed from 1912, when he left William Ellis School, until 1935, when he retired from Readership at the University of London Institute of Education. He held a number of influential positions at the University of London and the Geographical Association (he was president in 1935) in addition to teaching. His view of geography was fundamentally centered on human geography.<ref name="obit" />

==References== <references />

==External links== * {{Internet Archive author |sname=James Fairgrieve}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairgrieve, James}} Category:1870 births Category:1953 deaths Category:Academics of the UCL Institute of Education Category:Alumni of Aberystwyth University Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics Category:Scottish geographers Category:Geopoliticians