Alexander Gerard

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 ...

(1728 –1795) was a Scottish

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, academic and philosophical writer. In 1764 he was the

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

Life

Greyfriars (John Knox) Kirk, Broad Street, Aberdeen

He was born on 22 February 1728, the son of Gilbert Gerard (died 1738), at the manse in Garioch in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

. He attended Foveran Parish School then Aberdeen Grammar School. He went to the University of Aberdeen, graduating with an MA in 1744. He then went to the University of Edinburgh to study divinity. He was licensed to preach in 1748. In 1750 he returned to the University of Aberdeen to lecture in moral philosophy, becoming a professor in 1752, based at Marischal College. From 1760 to 1769 he was minister of Greyfriars Church in Aberdeen and in 1769 was elected Professor of Divinity at Marischal College, moving in 1771 to

King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

. As a professor he introduced various reforms. During this time he was also one of the ministers of the city, serving at Greyfriars Church.William (1910) He was a member of the Aberdeen Philosophical Society, founded by John Gregory and including members such as Prof Thomas Gordon. In 1783 he was a joint founder 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 ...

. He died on 22 January 1795. He is buried in the churchyard of

St Machar's Cathedral St Machar's Cathedral usually called Old Machar (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-eaglais Naomh Machar), (or, more formally, the Cathedral Church of St Machar) is a Church of Scotland church in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is located to the north of the c ...

in Old Aberdeen. The grave lies near the south east corner of the eastern cathedral enclosure.

Publications

*In 1756 he gained the prize for an ''Essay on Taste'' which, together with an ''Essay on Genius'', he subsequently published. These treatises, though now superseded, gained for him considerable reputation. *''Compendious View of the Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion'' the joint work by Alexander Gerard and his son Gilbert Gerard, published 1828.Lee, "Gilbert Gerard"
p. 488
(see also main article xxi 220) *A Plan of Education in Marischal College

Family

In June 1757 he married Jane Wight daughter of Dr John Wight of Colnae. They had several children: Gilbert Gerard was his son.

References

* Lee, Sidney (1903),

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 ...

br>Index and Epitome
;Attribution * 1728 births 1795 deaths Scottish philosophers People of the Scottish Enlightenment Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Academics of the University of Aberdeen 18th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Scottish essayists Enlightenment philosophers Founder Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh People from Aberdeenshire People educated at Aberdeen Grammar School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh {{UK-philosopher-stub