John Davidson (1834 – 22 July 1881) was a Presbyterian minister and academic.

Life

Davidson was born in

Kinghorn Kinghorn (; gd, Ceann Gronna) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. Accordin ...

, Fife,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, and was educated for the ministry. Having gained a considerable reputation as a preacher, he was invited to assume the pastorate of Chalmers Church in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. Accepting the call, he arrived in South Australia in June 1870, and was connected with Chalmers Church until 1877, when he associated himself with the Adelaide Union College. When Sir

Walter Watson Hughes Sir Walter Watson Hughes (22 August 1803 – 1 January 1887),Dirk Van Dissel,Hughes, Sir Walter Watson (1803 - 1887), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp 440-441. Retrieved 11 August 2009 who before his knighthood wa ...

agreed to endow the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

with £20,000 for two professorships, he stipulated that Davidson should fill the first chair of English Language and Literature and Mental and Moral Philosophy. Accordingly, when the University was constituted, in 1874, Davidson assumed the duties of the position. He died on 22 July 1881.

Family

Davidson left a widow Harriet (1839–1883), the daughter of

Hugh Miller Hugh Miller (10 October 1802 – 23/24 December 1856) was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian. Life and work Miller was born in Cromarty, the first of three children of Harriet Wright ('' ...

the geologist, known as a poet and writer; she died at Adelaide in December 1883. She was the author of ''Isabel Jardine's History'' (1867), ''Christian Osborn's Friends'' (1869), and contributed to the Adelaide newspapers and ''

Chambers's Journal ''Chambers's Edinburgh Journal'' was a weekly 16-page magazine started by William Chambers in 1832. The first edition was dated 4 February 1832, and priced at one penny. Topics included history, religion, language, and science. William was so ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, John 1834 births 1881 deaths Scottish emigrants to Australia Australian Presbyterian ministers 19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland