# James Sharp Tait

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{{Short description|Scottish electrical engineer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2018}}
'''Sir James Sharp Tait'''  (13 June 1912 – 18 February 1998) was a Scottish [electrical engineer](/source/electrical_engineer) who was the first [Vice-Chancellor](/source/Vice-Chancellor) of the [City University, London](/source/City_University%2C_London).

==Life==
Tait was born on 13 June 1912 in [Ochiltree](/source/Ochiltree), [Ayrshire](/source/Ayrshire), the son of a gardener. He left school at 14 to become an engineering apprentice and taking evening classes.<ref name=Herald>[http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/sir-james-tait-1.350964 ''The Herald'', 7 March 1998] Sir James Tait</ref><ref name=Indy>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-sir-james-tait-1147177.html The Independent, 27 February 1998] Obituary; Sir James Tait</ref> He obtained an engineering qualification ARTC (with a distinction in [electrical engineering](/source/electrical_engineering)) at the [Royal Technical College](/source/Royal_Technical_College), [Glasgow](/source/Glasgow), and stayed on as a lecturer.  While working as a lecturer, he gained a [double first class honours degree](/source/British_undergraduate_degree_classification) in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, as an external student of [London University](/source/London_University) and went on to get a PhD from [Glasgow University](/source/Glasgow_University).<ref name=Herald/>

[[File:Sir_James_Tait_plaque.jpg|thumb|Memorial plaque formerly situated in [Richmond Green United Reformed Church](/source/Richmond_Green_United_Reformed_Church), now in [Twickenham United Reformed Church](/source/Twickenham_United_Reformed_Church)]]

He married Mary Cassidy Linton (who survived him) in 1939. They had two sons and one daughter.<ref name=Herald/><ref name=Indy/>

In 1946 he was appointed Head of the Electrical Engineering Department at Portsmouth Municipal College, but in 1947 took up the equivalent position at [Northampton Polytechnic](/source/Northampton_Polytechnic).  In 1951, he became its [Principal](/source/Principal_(academia)).<ref name=Herald/><ref name=Indy/>  In 1957 it became a [College of Advanced Technology](/source/College_of_Advanced_Technology_(United_Kingdom)) with Tait as its Principal, and in 1966 became the City University, London, at which point Tait became its first Vice-Chancellor.<ref name=Indy/> He retired in 1974.<ref name=Herald/><ref name=Indy/>
 
Outside work, he was an [Elder](/source/Elder_(Christianity)) of the [Presbyterian Church](/source/Presbyterianism) and was active in the [Scouting movement](/source/Scouting_movement).<ref name=Indy/>

He died on 18 February 1998, in [Teddington](/source/Teddington) in the [London Borough of Richmond upon Thames](/source/London_Borough_of_Richmond_upon_Thames).<ref name=Herald/><ref name=Indy/>

==Honours==
Tait was knighted in 1969 as a member of the [Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor](/source/Imperial_Society_of_Knights_Bachelor) for services to education, and made [Freeman of the City of London](/source/Freedom_of_the_City).<ref name=Herald/>  He was a [Chartered Engineer](/source/Chartered_Engineer), and a [Fellow](/source/Fellow) of both the [Institution of Electrical Engineers](/source/Institution_of_Electrical_Engineers) and the [Institution of Mechanical Engineers](/source/Institution_of_Mechanical_Engineers).<ref name=Herald/><ref name=Indy/> City University, London, awarded him an honorary [Doctor of Science](/source/Doctor_of_Science) degree in 1974 and also named a building after him. He was awarded a [Doctor of Laws](/source/Doctor_of_Laws) by [Strathclyde University](/source/Strathclyde_University), the successor to the Royal Technical College, Glasgow.<ref name=Herald/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-aca}}
{{succession box
|title=Vice-Chancellor, [City University, London](/source/City_University%2C_London)
|years = 1966&ndash;1974
|before=''New position''
|after=[Edward Parkes](/source/Edward_Parkes)
}}
{{end}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tait, James}}
Category:1912 births
Category:1998 deaths
Category:20th-century Presbyterians
Category:Fellows of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Category:Knights Bachelor
Category:People from Ochiltree
Category:Presidents of City, University of London
Category:Scottish electrical engineers
Category:Scottish Presbyterians
Category:20th-century Scottish engineers

{{Scotland-academic-bio-stub}}

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