Peter Comrie

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 EIS (1868 – 1944) was a Scottish mathematician and educator. He served as Rector of

Leith Academy Leith Academy is a state school in Leith, Edinburgh. It currently educates around 1000 pupils and around 2,800 part-time adult learners. Mike Irving has been head teacher since August 2017. History It is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, w ...

1922 to 1933 and President of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society 1916–17.

Life

He was born on 17 July 1868 in

Muthill Muthill, pronounced , is a village in Perth and Kinross, Perthshire, Scotland. The name derives from scottish gaelic Maothail meaning “soft-ground”. The village lies south of Crieff, just west of the former railway line connecting Crieff ...

the son of Peter Comrie, master blacksmith and Elizabeth Ritchie. He was educated at

School and then

Morrison's Academy Morrison's Academy is a co-educational independent day school in Crieff, Perth and Kinross, in Central Scotland. The school provides nursery, primary and secondary school facilities. It draws many pupils from surrounding Perth and Kinross ...

Crieff Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become ...

. He then won a place at

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

studying Mathematics, graduating BSc, MA. From 1895 he began working as a mathematics teacher, firstly in

Greenock Academy The Greenock Academy was a mixed non-denominational school in the west end of Greenock, Scotland, founded in 1855, originally independent, later a grammar school with a primary department, and finally a Comprehensive school only for ages eleven t ...

, then

Hutcheson's Grammar School Hutchesons' Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school for pupils aged 3-18 in Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded as Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School by George Hutcheson and Thomas Hutcheson in 1641 It is a selective school, m ...

, and

Robert Gordon's College Robert Gordon's College is a co-educational Independent school (UK) for day pupils in Aberdeen, Scotland. The school caters for pupils from Nursery through to S6. History Robert Gordon, an Aberdeen merchant, made his fortune in 18th century ...

. In 1904 he moved to

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 ...

and remained there for the rest of his life, but teaching in various schools. Firstly in

Boroughmuir High School Boroughmuir High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Edinburgh, Scotland. Buildings It was founded in 1904, and located at 22–24 Warrender Park Crescent, overlooking Bruntsfield Links, in a building designed by John Alexande ...

then in 1917 received his first role as headmaster: at Castlehill School at the head of the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

. In 1922 he moved to be headmaster of

where he remained until retiral in 1933.''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'': 22 December 1944 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 ...

in 1909 his main proposer being

Sir James Donaldson Sir James Donaldson (26 April 1831 – March 1915) was a Scottish classical scholar, and educational and theological writer. Life Donaldson was born in Aberdeen on 26 April 1831. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School, Marischal Colle ...

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

awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1928. He died at home 19 Craighouse Terrace in

on 20 December 1944.

Memberships

*President of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society (1916 and 1917) *President of the Educational Institute of Scotland (1928) *Co-opted member of the Education Committee for Edinburgh Corporation (1933–44) *Governor of George Heriot's Trust *Member of the Edinburgh Provincial Committee *Member of the Central Executive Committee for Training of Teachers (in Scotland)

Publications

*''Chambers New Commercial Arithmetic'' (1911)

Family

Comrie was married to Charlotte Aikman from St Andrews.

References

1868 births 1944 deaths People educated at Morrison's Academy Alumni of the University of St Andrews Scottish mathematicians Scottish educators Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh People associated with Edinburgh {{mathematician-stub