James George (November 8, 1800 – August 26, 1870) was the acting Principal of Queen's University from 1853 to 1857. He oversaw the establishment of the School of Medicine and the expansion of the

Faculty of Arts A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

. In 1854, George helped to bring the Reverend George Weir over from

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 ...

as a professor of

classical literature Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classic ...

. Relations between the two were amiable until Weir accused George of fathering his sister's illegitimate child. George stepped down amidst the scandal, but the matter was never fully investigated and he kept his post as the professor of

moral philosophy 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 ...

. In frustration, Weir penned a 16

canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from the ...

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

mocking the former principal. After several years of continued accusations from Weir, George retired to a ministry in Stratford, Ontario, where he spent the remainder of his days. The charges against him were never proven one way or the other.

References

* * 1801 births 1870 deaths Principals of Queen's University at Kingston {{Canada-academic-bio-stub