James Rae Forgan (1876-1966) was a Scottish minister who served as

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

in 1940.

Life

He was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

on 25 December 1876. In 1898 he began studying divinity at 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 ...

, graduating MA in 1902. He served as minister to

Uddingston Uddingston ( sco, Uddinstoun, gd, Baile Udain) is a small town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the north side of the River Clyde, south-east of Glasgow city centre, and acts as a dormitory suburb for the city. Geography and boundaries ...

Chalmers United Free Church until 1918, then moving to St Stephens West Church in

Broughty Ferry Broughty Ferry (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Bruach Tatha''; Scots: ''Brochtie'') is a suburb of Dundee, Scotland. It is situated four miles east of the city centre on the north bank of the Firth of Tay. The area was a separate burgh from 1864 until ...

. In 1921 he went to

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

Trinity United Free Church. 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 ...

he served as honorary chaplain to the forces. In 1929 the United Free Church re-amalgamated with the established

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

. Forgan remained in Ayr (thereafter known as St Columbas) and served as moderator to the entire church in 1940 before retiring in 1946. He died on 14 December 1966 shortly before his 90th birthday. He is buried with his wife in the modern north 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 ...

on Queensferry Road in Edinburgh. The grave lies to the east, not far from the entrance on an east–west path.

Family

He was married to Essex Helen Gray (1878–1944) who predeceased him by over 20 years. A stained glass window in Ayr Trinity Church (now known as St Columbas) is dedicated to her memory.

References

1876 births 1966 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Ministers of the United Free Church of Scotland 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland {{scotland-reli-bio-stub