Sir John Neish Ritchie

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FZS PRCVS CB LLD (19 January 1904–28 September 1977) was a 20th-century Scottish veterinarian who rose to the top of his profession.

Life

He was born in

Turriff Turriff () is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies on the River Deveron, about above sea level, and has a population of 5,708. In everyday speech it is often referred to by its Scots name ''Turra'', which is derived fr ...

in north-east Scotland on 19 January 1904 the youngest son of Annie Watson and her husband, John Neish Ritchie, a general merchant. He was educated at Turriff Higher Grade School. He then studied at the Royal Dick Veterinary College in Edinburgh graduating in 1925, he then undertook postgraduate studies at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a BSc degree in 1927. After a period in private practice he joined the staff of the Department of Agriculture in 1938 and rose to be

Chief Veterinary Officer Chief veterinary officer (CVO) is the head of a veterinary authority (typically a national government service comprising veterinarians, other professionals and paraprofessionals). They have the responsibility and competence for ensuring or supervisi ...

in 1952. In 1957 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were Sir William Weipers,

Robert Garry Robert Campbell Garry (1933) OBE FRSE (1900–1993) was a British physician and Professor of Medicine at the University of St Andrews and the University of Glasgow. During World War II, as an expert on human physiology, he advised on human ...

, James Norman Davidson and William McGregor Mitchell. He was created a Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1955 and knighted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in the

1961 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1961 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 31 December 1960 in the U ...

. He was President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1959. In 1965 he was appointed Principal of the

Royal Veterinary College , mottoeng = Confront disease at onset , established = (became a constituent part of University of London in 1949) , endowment = £10.5 million (2021) , budget = £106.0 million (20 ...

in London holding the post until retiral in 1970. He died in Aberdeen on 28 September 1977.

Family

In 1930 he married Florina Margaret Drummond (d.1975).

References

1904 births 1977 deaths People from Turriff Scottish veterinarians Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh {{Scotland-bio-stub