John Gerard Anderson (12 February 1836 – 23 August 1911) was a Scottish-born Australian educationist. Emigrating to the

Colony of Queensland The Colony of Queensland was a colony of the British Empire from 1859 to 1901, when it became a State in the federal Australia, Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. At its greatest extent, the colony included the present-day Queensland, ...

in 1862, Anderson served various posts on its board of education and served as the 2nd Director-General of Education from 1878 to 1904.

Biography

Early life and education

John Gerald Anderson was born on 12 February 1836 in

Orphir Orphir (pronounced , or )Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) ''Orkneyjar ok Katanes'' (map, Inverness, Nevis Print) is a parish and settlement on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It is approximately southwest of Kirkwall, and comprises a seaboard tract ...

, a parish in

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, Scotland. He was the sixth child of James Anderson and Susan Anderson (), and attended

King's College, Aberdeen King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Aberdonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Univer ...

. He graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1854. Anderson then remained there as a student of

divinity Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...

Career

After serving as headmaster of headmaster of Spencer's School,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

, Anderson emigrated to the

in 1862 to accept a position on its board of education. He became the first district inspector of schools in September 1863, senior inspector in June 1869, acting general inspector in September 1874, general inspector in 1876 and under-secretary in November 1878. Anderson served as head of the Department of Public Instruction from 1878 to 1904. He was associated with the introduction of free, compulsory and secular education, and was a member of the 1981

Royal Commission A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...

to establish the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

. Confronted by demands for change, Anderson became "cautious, conservative and autocratic" and was criticized by the 1887 royal commission as running the department in an arbitrary manner. He faced further demands for educational reforms by the turn of the century, but retired before any of them were implemented. Anderson was afterwards awarded the

Imperial Service Order The Imperial Service Order was established by King Edward VII in August 1902. It was awarded on retirement to the administration and clerical staff of the Civil Service throughout the British Empire for long and meritorious service. Normally a pe ...

for "long and meritorious service".

Private life

On 17 April 1873, Anderson married Edith Sarah, daughter of William Wood, reader at the

Queensland Government Printing Office The Queensland Government Printing Office is a heritage-listed printing house at 110 George Street and 84 William Street, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by John James Clark, Francis Drummond Greville Stanley, and Edwi ...

. They had two sons and three daughters. He died on 23 August 1911 at his home in

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 14,292 people. Geography South Brisbane is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the nor ...

. One of his daughters, artist

Edith Susan Gerard Anderson Edith Susan Gerard Anderson (16 February 1880 – 31 March 1961), who became Edith Susan Boyd when she married, was an Australian artist, Playwdramatist, and painter. She was also known for being a model for the artist E. Phillips Fox, Emanuel ...

, married painter Theodore Penleigh Boyd. Another, Maud Edith Anderson, married

John Ashton John Ashton may refer to: Entertainment * John Ashton (composer) (1830–1896), Welsh musician * Will Ashton (John William Ashton, 1881–1963), British-Australian artist and art director * John Rowland Ashton (1917–2008), English author * John A ...

, who became Bishop of Grafton.

References

1836 births 1911 deaths People from Orkney Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Scottish educational theorists Australian public servants People from Queensland {{Edu-bio-stub