Charles Maclaren

For other people of the same name, see Charles McLaren (disambiguation).

Charles Maclaren FRSE FGS (7 October 1782–10 September 1866) was a Scottish journalist and geologist. He co-founded The Scotsman newspaper, and edited the 6th Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.^[1]

Maclaren was born in Ormiston, Haddingtonshire, the son of a farmer and cattle-dealer. He was almost entirely self-educated, and when a young man became a mercantile clerk in Edinburgh.

In 1817, with others, he established The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh and at first acted as its editor. Offered a post as clerk in the custom house, he resigned his editorial position, resuming it in 1820, and resigning it again in 1845. In 1820, Maclaren was appointed editor of the sixth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. From 1864-1866 he was president of the Edinburgh Geological Society, in which city he died in 1866. He was interred at the Grange Cemetery.

His second wife, Jane Veitch Hume nee Somner (married 1842; died 1871), was the widow of David Hume.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Waterston, Charles D; Macmillan Shearer, A (July 2006). Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783-2002: Biographical Index. II. Edinburgh: The Royal Society of Edinburgh. ISBN 9780902198845. http://www.rse.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf. Retrieved 22 December 2011.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Persondata
Name	Maclaren,Charles
Alternative names
Short description	Scottish journalist and geologist
Date of birth	1782
Place of birth	Ormiston, East Lothian
Date of death	1866
Place of death	Moreland Cottage, Edinburgh