Sir Frederick Henry Stewart (16 January 1916 – 9 December 2001) was a Scottish geologist and academic who was a professor 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 ...

Background

He was born in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

on 16 January 1916, the son of Frederick Robert Stewart, a lecturer in engineering at

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

, and his wife, Hester Alexander. He was educated at

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. In ...

and Robert Gordon's College. He earned his BSc in

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

in three years at

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

. He followed this with a doctorate (PhD) in Geology at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, while also studying the geology of the Isle of Skye and the village of Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire.

Personal life

In 1945, Stewart married Mary Rainbow, (later to achieve recognition as the novelist Mary Stewart) whom he met whilst working in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

. She outlived him, dying in 2014. There were no children.

Honours and awards

*Honorary doctorates from the Universities of Aberdeen, Leicester, Heriot-Watt University, Durham, and

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. *Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1957 *Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1964 *Awarded the

Lyell Medal The Lyell Medal is a prestigious annual scientific medal given by the Geological Society of London, equal in status to the Murchison Medal. This medal is awarded based on one Earth Scientist's exceptional contribution of research to the scientific ...

by the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

, 1970 *Knighted 1974 *Founding member of the

World Cultural Council The World Cultural Council is an international organization whose goals are to promote cultural values, goodwill and philanthropy among individuals. The organization founded in 1981 and based in Mexico, has held a yearly award ceremony since 198 ...

in 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Frederick 1916 births 2001 deaths People from Argyll and Bute People from Aberdeen People educated at Fettes College People educated at Robert Gordon's College Scottish geologists Academics of Durham University Academics of the University of Edinburgh Knights Bachelor Founding members of the World Cultural Council Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society Lyell Medal winners