Sir James Adam Louis Matheson KBE CMG (11 February 191227 March 2002) was a British engineer and university administrator, who served as the first Vice-Chancellor of

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

, Australia.

Early life

Born in

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence i ...

, Matheson studied engineering at

Manchester University , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

. Matheson graduated with a Bachelor of Science in engineering (1932) and a Master of Science (1933) from the University of Manchester, and a PhD from the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

(1946). After spending 6 years as a civil engineer from 1933 to 1938, he took up a position at the

and then the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

, where he modernised the Melbourne University engineering curriculum. At Melbourne University, he worked under Robert Blackwood, a relationship that continued when Blackwood went on to become Monash's first Chancellor. In 1951, after only a few years in Australia, he returned to the UK to accept the Beyer Chair in Engineering at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...

Vice-Chancellor of Monash

In 1960, at just 47 years old, Matheson became the first Vice-Chancellor of Monash University, a position he held until 1976. Given only 12 months to prepare for the opening of the University, Matheson worked with exceptional speed and effectiveness. He assembled staff, established courses, and set up faculties, teaching and research facilities. When Monash opened, Matheson led and oversaw rapid development, from an empty site in Clayton, to a university recognised internationally for excellence in research and teaching. When the University opened in 1961, it had just 347 students; but 11 years into Matheson's term, it had expanded to over 12,000. Matheson managed the tumultuous years of

student activism Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. Although often focused on schools, curriculum, and educational funding, student groups have influenced greater political e ...

at Monash in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was often criticised by some of the more radical students, but succeeded in maintaining strong academic standards throughout. His responsiveness to student ideas and demands meant the unrest was contained as successfully as possible. In an article written shortly after his death, the

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is a learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. It was founded in 1975 as one of Australia's then four learned academies (now five) ...

observed that "it is hard to imagine how Matheson could have built the university better."ATSE – MATHESON James Adam Louis
The arts and social sciences library at the University's Clayton Campus is named in his honour. A book by Matheson published in 1980, ''Still learning'', provides an account of his years at Monash. During his term as Vice-Chancellor, he sat on the Royal Commission on the collapse of Melbourne's King Street Bridge (from 1962 to 1963).

Later life

Beyond his work at Monash, Matheson also oversaw the development of two universities in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, and was Chancellor of the

University of Papua New Guinea The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) is a university located in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea. It was established by ordinance of the Australian administration in 1965. This followed the Currie Commission which had enquired ...

from 1973 to 1975. He was active in a number of research and professional organisations in Australia. He was a Foundation Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and President of the Institution of Engineers. Matheson received numerous distinguished awards for his achievements at Monash. He received Honorary Doctorates from Hong Kong, Manchester, Melbourne and Monash Universities. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(CMG) in 1972, and a

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(KBE) in 1976 for services to education and services to Victoria.It's an Honour: KBE
Retrieved 2 April 2014 In 1989, Matheson suffered a stroke which confined him to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. His wife, Lady Audrey, cared for him at home during this time. Matheson died on 27 March 2002 at the age of 90. His widow died on 16 November 2014, aged 100.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matheson, Louis 1912 births 2002 deaths Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George English civil engineers Monash University faculty Alumni of the University of Birmingham University of Papua New Guinea faculty People from Huddersfield Engineers from Yorkshire British emigrants to Australia