Sir James Black Baillie, (24 October 1872 – 9 June 1940) was a British

moral philosopher Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

and Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

. He wrote the first significant translation of Hegel's "Phenomenology of Mind." He is said to be the model for the character Sir John Evans in the novel '' The Weight of the Evidence'' (1944) by Michael Innes.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

accessed 25 July 2009

Life

Baillie was born in West Mill, Cortachy, Forfarshire and studied 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 ...

, where he gained a PhD in 1899 on "The growth of Hegel's logic" and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

. He lectured in philosophy at

University College, Dundee A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, and in August 1902 was appointed

Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy The Regius Professorship of Moral Philosophy is a Regius Chair at the University of Aberdeen. It was created in the 16th century, in the early years of the university's existence. List of Regius Professors * 1760–1797: James Beattie * 1820–18 ...

at the

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

. In 1906 he married Helena May James: they had no children. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was in the intelligence division of the British Admiralty. After public service posts he became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds from 1924 to his retirement in 1938. He died of prostate cancer in

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...

Honours

He was appointed an Officer 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 ...

in the

1919 New Year Honours The 1919 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Jan ...

, made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy following a meeting with Italian leader Benito Mussolini and received a UK knighthood in 1931.London Gazette
2 June 1931

References

External links

* * 1872 births 1940 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Academics of the University of Sheffield Deaths from prostate cancer Knights Bachelor Vice-Chancellors of the University of Leeds Academics of the University of Dundee Academics of the University of Aberdeen British philosophers Deaths from cancer in England {{UK-philosopher-stub