John Sturgeon Mackay

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 ...

LLD (1843–1914) was a Scottish mathematician and academic author.

Life

He was born on 22 October 1843 at Auchencairn near

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; sco, Kirkcoubrie; gd, Cille Chùithbeirt) is a town, parish and a Royal Burgh from 1455 in Kirkcudbrightshire, of which it is traditionally the county town, within Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The town lies southwest of C ...

the son of John Mackay and his wife Jessie Sturgeon. The family moved to

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 ...

early in his life and he was educated at

Perth Academy Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It was founded in 1696. The institution is a non-denominational one. The school occupies ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the Pe ...

. He entered

St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in 1859 and graduated MA in 1863. In 1863 he began teaching mathematics at Perth Academy. Although dallying with the idea of training as a minister he instead continued in mathematics, moving as a teacher to

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

in 1866. He initially rented rooms but by 1880 he was living at 85 Great King Street, a grand property in Edinburgh’s Second New Town. By 1890 he was living at 69 Northumberland Street, a short walk from the Academy. In 1882 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

Peter Guthrie Tait Peter Guthrie Tait FRSE (28 April 1831 – 4 July 1901) was a Scottish mathematical physicist and early pioneer in thermodynamics. He is best known for the mathematical physics textbook '' Treatise on Natural Philosophy'', which he co-wrote wi ...

George Chrystal George Chrystal FRSE FRS (8 March 1851 – 3 November 1911) was a Scottish mathematician. He is primarily know for his books on algebra and his studies of seiches (wave patterns in large inland bodies of water) which earned him a Gold Meda ...

Fleeming Jenkin Henry Charles Fleeming Jenkin FRS FRSE LLD (; 25 March 1833 – 12 June 1885) was Regius Professor of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, remarkable for his versatility. Known to the world as the inventor of the cable car or telphera ...

and Alexander Dickson. In 1884 St Andrews University awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD). In 1883 he co-founded the Edinburgh Mathematical Society and served as its first President. He retired in 1904. He died at 69 Northumberland Street in Edinburgh on 26 March 1914. He never married and had no children. He was buried with his parents in

Wellshill Cemetery Wellshill Cemetery is a 19th-century cemetery in the Scottish city of Perth, Perth and Kinross. Located on Feus Road, the cemetery is still operational and is under the control of Perth and Kinross Council. In general the grounds are well-landsc ...

in Perth on 28 March. The grave lies on the boundary between the central and east section, facing east. In 1923 his brother Robert Mackay donated 52 ancient mathematical books previously owned by John to St Andrews University. These are now known as the Mackay Collection.

Publications

*''Arithmetical Exercises'' (1869) *''Elements of Euclid'' (1884, enlarged and reprinted 1888) *''Arithmetic: Theoretical and Practical'' (1899)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, John Sturgeon 1843 births 1914 deaths People educated at Perth Academy Scottish mathematicians Alumni of the University of St Andrews Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Scottish non-fiction writers