Sir Alexander Grant, 10th Baronet (23 September 1826 – 30 November 1884) was a British educationalist and Principal of the University of Edinburgh. He was born in New York and died in Edinburgh.
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After a childhood spent in the West Indies, he was educated at Harrow, before becoming a student in Balliol College at Oxford. He later held a fellowship at Oriel from 1849 to 1860. He made a special study of the Aristotelian philosophy, and in 1857 published an edition of the Ethics (4th ed. 1885) which became a standard text-book at Oxford. In 1855 he was one of the examiners for the Indian Civil Service, and in 1856 a public examiner in classics at Oxford.
In 1856, he succeeded to his baronetcy, becoming 10th Baronet.
In 1859 he went to Madras with Sir Charles Trevelyan, and was appointed inspector of schools; the next year he removed to Bombay, to fill the post of Professor of History and Political Economy in the Elphinstone College. Of this he became Principal in 1862; and, a year later, vice-chancellor of Bombay University, a post he held from 1863 to 1865 and again from 1865 to 1868. In 1865 he took upon himself also the duties of Director of Public Instruction for Bombay Presidency. In 1868 he was appointed a member of the Legislative Council.
In 1868, upon the death of Sir David Brewster, he was appointed Principal of Edinburgh University. From that time till his death his energies were entirely devoted to the well-being of the University. The institution of the medical school in the University was almost solely due to his initiative; and the Tercentenary Festival, celebrated in 1884, was the result of his wisely directed enthusiasm. In that year he published The Story of the University of Edinburgh during its First Three Hundred Years.
| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by David Brewster |
Edinburgh University Principals 1868 – 1884 |
Succeeded by Sir William Muir |