David Nichol Smith FBA (16 September 1875 – 18 January 1962) was a Scottish literary scholar and

Merton Professor of English Literature There are two Merton Professorships of English in the University of Oxford: the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature, and the Merton Professor of English Literature. The second was created in 1914 when Sir Walter Raleigh's chair was ...

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Background

Smith was born in Edinburgh, educated at

George Watson's College George Watson's College is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871, and was merg ...

, the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

and Paris'

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. He was an editor of textbooks before taking a position as an English professor at Armstrong College in 1904 and

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in English at

, where he lived until his death. In 1921 he was elected

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of Merton College, where he was Merton Professor of English from 1929 to 1946.Nichol Smith Collection , National Library of Australia
/ref> In 1937, he gave the Alexander Lectures in Toronto, Canada, and arranged travel through the United States, visiting his pupils who were strategically placed across the whole continent. He followed their careers with the greatest interest, and always welcomed them back to his study in 20

Merton Street Merton Street is a historic and picturesque cobbled street in central Oxford, England.

, where one was sometimes surprised to learn the latest news of what was happening in universities in California or Australia. In his retirement he travelled widely and he was Professor of English at Adelaide University in 1950–51.

References

External links

* *
Correspondence of David Nichol Smith, Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, D. Nichol Fellows of Merton College, Oxford Merton Professors of English Literature 1962 deaths 1875 births Fellows of the British Academy