John Kennedy Cameron (11 May 1860–5 October 1944) was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1910/11.

Life

He was born on 11 May 1860 at

Rosskeen Rosskeen is a parish in Ross and Cromarty on the Cromarty Firth in northern Scotland, containing the settlements of Invergordon, Bridgend and Saltburn. It lies on the A9 between Inverness and Thurso. Notable Buildings *Newmore Farmhouse (1845) ...

Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...

the son of Janet McDonald and her husband, Alexander Cameron of Alness. He was educated at Old Aberdeen Grammar School then took a general degree 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 with an MA in 1885. He then embarked on a religious career studying divinity at New College, Edinburgh from 1886 to 1890. In 1890 he was ordained by the Free Church of Scotland as minister of Kilbride on the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; sco, Isle o Arran; gd, Eilean Arainn) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Historically part of Butesh ...

. He remained in the Free Church following the Union of 1900, but lost his church in this decision. From 1900 to 1936 he served as Clerk to the General Assembly. From 1906 he was Professor of Systematic Theology at the Free Church College. In 1910 he succeeded Very Rev James Henry as

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 ...

, the highest position in the Free Church of Scotland. He was succeeded in turn in 1911 by Rev

William Menzies Alexander William Menzies Alexander (Shettleston, then in Lanarkshire, 12 May 1858 – Edinburgh 30 August 1929) was a Scottish medical and theological writer. He was Moderator of the General Assembly for the Free Church of Scotland for 1911/12. Life ...

. He was then living at 34 Hartington Place in a terraced house in the Viewforth district of Edinburgh. In 1943 he became Principal of the Free Church College. He died suddenly on 5 October 1944 in his college rooms.Scotsman (newspaper) 5 October 1944

Family

In 1891 at St Andrews Church in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

he married Kate McIver (b.1869) from

Gairloch Gairloch ( ; gd, Geàrrloch , meaning "Short Loch") is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. A tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a go ...

. Their children included: *Murilla McIver Cameron (1892-1984) who married Rev John Kennedy Mackenzie of the

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 ...

*Janet Flora Alexandra Cameron (1894-1958) who married twice, the second being Rev William MacMaster of the

*Ian Kennedy Cameron (1896-1955) *Jean MacDonald Cameron (1903 - 2002) married Dr George James Alexander MD.

Publications

*''The Free Church of Scotland 1843-1910'' (1910) *''The Church in Arran from the Earliest Period to the Current Day'' (1912) *''The Scottish Church Union of 1900'' (1923) *''A Proposal for a Further Ecclesiastical Union in Scotland'' (1930) *''The Clerkship of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland'' (1938)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, John Kennedy 1860 births 1944 deaths People from Ross and Cromarty Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland 20th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland