Sir Henry Normand MacLaurin, (known as Normand MacLaurin; 10 December 1835 in

Kilconquhar Kilconquhar ( or ; sco, also Kinneuchar, from the gd, Cill Dhúnchadha or gd, Cill Chonchaidh, Church of (St) Duncan or Conchad) is a village and parish in Fife in Scotland. It includes the small hamlet of Barnyards. It is bounded by the paris ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

– 24 August 1914 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

), was a Scottish-born physician, company director, Australian politician and university administrator.

Biography

MacLaurin was born in

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, the son of James MacLaurin, M.A. schoolmaster and Catherine, née Brearcliffe. He was educated at home. At 15 years of age he won a bursary at the

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

and took the degree of M.A., graduating in 1854 at 19 years of age. Both parents died before he was 19. With help from his only brother, Rev. James MacLaurin, and some fees he earned for tutoring, he enrolled in medicine 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 ...

. He qualified as

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

in 1857 (aged 22) and subsequently served on eight different ships in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. In the course of his naval service, on 4 February 1868 he reached

Port Phillip Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is com ...

, and then

in conjunction with the

Royal Visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

to Australia of

Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 184430 July 1900) was the sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893 to 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was known as the Duke of Edinburgh from 1 ...

. On 1 October 1868 he decided to register with the Medical Board of New South Wales, where he met Dr Charles Nathan and his family. He was obliged to return with his ship to England, but in May 1871 he obtained 12 months leave and returned to Sydney where he married Eliza Ann née Nathan at St James' Church on 6 October 1871. (Eliza Nathan was the daughter of Charles, and the granddaughter of

Isaac Nathan Isaac Nathan (15 January 1864) was an English composer, musicologist, journalist and self-publicist, who has been called the "father of Australian music". Early success Isaac Nathan was born around 1791 in the English city of Canterbury to a '' ...

.) He was dropped from the navy list in January 1873. MacLaurin went to

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

, and then after his father-in-law's death in September 1872, to

Macquarie Street, Sydney Macquarie Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Street extends from Hyde Park at its southern end to the Sydney Opera House at its northern end. Apart from connecting these two m ...

. and became good friends with Charles Mackellar. MacLaurin became a member of the

Legislative Council of New South Wales The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

in 1889. In April 1893 he became vice-president of the executive council in the

George Dibbs Sir George Richard Dibbs KCMG (12 October 1834 – 5 August 1904) was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales on three occasions. Early years Dibbs was born in Sydney, son of Captain John Dibbs, who 'disappeared' in the ...

ministry. Soon after, there was a financial crisis. MacLaurin suggested to the premier that all bank notes should be made legal tender; this suggestion was adopted and helped very much to allay the panic. In 1887 MacLaurin was appointed vice-chancellor of the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, becoming chancellor in 1896. He was made a

knight bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

on 15 August 1902, after the honour had been announced in the 1902 Coronation Honours list published on 26 June 1902.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maclaurin, Normand 1835 births 1914 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Scottish emigrants to Australia People from Kilconquhar Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Knights Bachelor Royal Navy officers 19th-century Scottish medical doctors

Biography

See also

References