''For the British colonial administrator, see

Alexander Frederick Whyte Sir Alexander Frederick Whyte (30 September 1883 – 30 July 1970) was a British civil servant, Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician, writer, and journalist. From 1920 to 1925 he served as the first President of the new Central Legisla ...

The grave of Rev Dr Alexander Whyte, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh

Rev Alexander Whyte D.D.,LL.D. (13 January 18366 January 1921) was a Scottish

divine Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

. He was

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states th ...

of the Free Church of Scotland in 1898.

Life

He was born in

Kirriemuir Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie or the ''Wee Red Toon'' ( gd, An Ceathramh Mòr; IPA: nˈkʰʲɛɾəvmoːɾ, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. It reaches back to earliest recorded times, when it is thought to have been a major ecclesiastical ...

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a p ...

shire to Janet Thomson, an unmarried girl. Janet declined to marry Alexander's father, John Whyte, who thereafter went to America. She did however give Alexander his father's surname. His mother joined the Free Church of Scotland at the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of S ...

. In 1848 he began an apprenticeship as a

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who Shoemaking, repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * The Cobbler (1923 ...

. In 1854 he took on a role as schoolteacher at Padanaram in

and the following year moved to teach in Airlie. In Airlie the local minister taught him Latin and Greek, enabling him to apply for university He studied divinity at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

and then at

New College, Edinburgh New College is a historic building at the University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the United Kingdom. Student ...

graduating in 1866. This was in part funded by his estranged father. His half-sister, Elizabeth Whyte, came to join him from America to help him keep house. There she met his colleague, Rev Thomas Macadam, whom she married. Whyte entered the ministry of the Free Church of Scotland and after serving as colleague in Free St John's,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

(1866–1870), removed to Edinburgh as colleague and successor to Rev Dr

Robert Candlish Robert Smith Candlish (23 March 1806 – 19 October 1873) was a Scottish minister who was a leading figure in the Disruption of 1843. He served for many years in both St. George's Church and St George's Free Church on Charlotte Square in Edinb ...

at Free St George's. In 1909 he succeeded Dr Marcus Dods as principal, and professor of

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

literature, at

. He was an active educator and author and published widely on subjects ranging from

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...

's ''

Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christianity, Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a prog ...

'' to St. Teresa of Avila, John Law, and

Jakob Böhme Jakob Böhme (; ; 24 April 1575 – 17 November 1624) was a German philosopher, Christian mystic, and Lutheran Protestant theologian. He was considered an original thinker by many of his contemporaries within the Lutheran tradition, and his first ...

. He was also an ecumenicist, maintaining a cordial correspondence with Cardinal Newman and publishing a selection of his work. He became a member of the general committee of the recently-established Edinburgh Social Union in 1885. Whyte lived in a huge townhouse 7

Charlotte Square 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intend ...

, in Edinburgh's First New Town. The house is now owned by the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organ ...

and open to the public as ''

The Georgian House, Edinburgh The Georgian House is an 18th-century townhouse situated at No. 7 Charlotte Square in the heart of the historic New Town of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated ...

''. He retired to

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

around 1915 and died there. However he was returned to Edinburgh for burial. He is buried near the north-west corner of the first northern extension to

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

. A memorial to Whyte in St George's Free Church in Edinburgh was designed by Sir

Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Gothi ...

Family

In 1881 he was married to Jane Elizabeth Barbour (1861-1944). Their son Robert Barbour Whyte was killed in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Their eldest son (Alexander) Frederick Whyte was a journalist and politician who received a knighthood. Their daughter Janet Chance was a feminist author and campaigner for sex education, birth control, and access to abortion.

Honours

In December 1909, the

Town Council of Edinburgh The politics of Edinburgh are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of the City of Edinburgh Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament. Also, as Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh is host to th ...

awarded him

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

Artistic recognition

He was portrayed by John Moffat and by Sir James Guthrie.

Works

* (1856). ''A Commentary on the Shorter Catechism''. * (1893). ''Characters and Characteristics of

William Law William Law (16869 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, King George I. P ...

''. * (1893–1908). ''

Characters'' Vols.* (1894). ''

Samuel Rutherford Samuel Rutherford (also Rutherfurd or Rutherfoord; – 29 March 1661) was a Scottish Presbyterian pastor and theologian who wrote widely read letters, sermons, devotional and scholastic works. As a political theorist, he is known for "L ...

and Some of His Correspondents''. * (1895). ''An Appreciation of Jacob Behmen''. * (1895). ''

Lancelot Andrewes Lancelot Andrewes (155525 September 1626) was an English bishop and scholar, who held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. During the latter's reign, Andrewes served successively as Bishop of Chic ...

and his Private Devotions'' * (1895). ''The Four Temperaments''. * (1896–1902). ''Bible Characters'' vols.* (1897). ''Santa Teresa''. * (1898). ''Father John of the Greek Church''. * (1898). ''The Principles of Protestantism''. * (1898). ''Sir

Thomas Browne Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 160519 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curi ...

, an Appreciation''. * (1898). ''An Appreciation of Browne's Religio Medici''. * (1901). ''Newman: An Appreciation in Two Lectures''. * (1903). '' Bishop Butler''. * (1905). ''The Walk, Conversation and Character of Jesus Christ Our Lord''. * (1911). ''James Fraser, Laird of Brea''.

References

Sources

* * *

External links

Biography and works of Alexander Whyte
at the

Christian Classics Ethereal Library The Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) is a digital library that provides free electronic copies of Christian scripture and literature texts. Description CCEL is a volunteer-based project founded and directed by Harry Plantinga, a pr ...

* * *
Works by Alexander Whyte
at

Hathi Trust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whyte, Alexander 1836 births 1921 deaths Scottish Christian theologians Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Academics of the University of Edinburgh People from Kirriemuir