List of Aberdonians

There are many notable Aberdonians from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in Scotland. In modern times the British Open winning golfer Paul Lawrie and the musician Annie Lennox are the most famous names. However, in the past Aberdeen has produced many important people such as Thomas Blake Glover, an assisting figure in the foundation of Mitsubishi, and Bertie Charles Forbes who founded the Forbes publishing empire.

Architecture and design

• Ninian Comper (1864–1960), architect
• Bill Gibb (1943–1988), fashion designer
• James Gibbs (1682–1754), architect
• Archibald Simpson (1790–1847), architect, responsible for many Aberdeen buildings
• W. Douglas Simpson (1896–1968), architectural scholar and archaeologist
• John Smith (1781–1852), architect

Armed forces

• David Baird (1757–1829), soldier
• James Brooke (1884–1914), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Robert Grierson Combe (1880–1917), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John Cruickshank (born 1920), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John Rennie (1920–1943), acting sergeant, recipient of a posthumous George Cross for gallantry while on training
• Archibald Bisset Smith (1878–1917), recipient of the Victoria Cross

Art and sculpture

King Lear and the Fool in the Storm, by artist William Dyce

• John Macdonald Aiken (1880–1961), painter and stained-glass artist
• Johanna Basford (born 1983), illustrator and textile designer^[1][2]
• Alexander Milne Calder (1846–1923), sculptor
• Berthe des Clayes (1877–1968), artist
• Gertrude des Clayes (1879–1949), portrait painter
• William Dyce (1806–1864), artist
• George Jamesone (c. 1587 – 1644), Scotland's first eminent artist
• William Keith (1838–1911), landscape artist
• James McBey (1883–1959), artist
• Alberto Morrocco (1917–1998), artist and teacher
• Stephen Reid (1873–1948), illustrator and painter

Business

Thomas Blake Glover, merchant in 19th century Japan

• William Black (1771–1866), Canadian shipper and merchant
• Alexander Blackwell (c. 1700 – 1747), adventurer
• Thomas Blake Glover (1838–1911), trader in Bakumatsu and Meiji era Japan
• Robert Gordon (1668–1731), philanthropist and merchant
• Stewart Milne (born 1950), businessman and Aberdeen F.C. chairman
• George Smith (1806–1899), financier
• Ian Wood, businessman

Literature and journalism

• Lord Byron (1788–1824), poet (raised in Aberdeen aged 2–10)
• Alexander Chalmers (1759–1834), writer and editor
• Simon Farquhar (born 1972), writer
• B.C. Forbes (1880–1954), journalist and founder of Forbes magazine
• Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901–1935), author
• Richard Gordon (born 1960), BBC Radio Scotland presenter
• John Imlah (1799–1846), poet
• Angus Konstam (born 1960), writer and historian
• Iain Levison (born 1963), novelist and journalist
• Lachlan Mackinnon (born 1956), poet and critic
• David Masson (1822–1907), author
• Arthur Butler Phillips Mee (1860–1926), journalist, historian and astronomer
• Janet Milne Rae (1844–1933), novelist and missionary, born in Willowbank^[3]
• Alexander Scott (1920–1989), poet in Braid Scots and English
• Nan Shepherd (1893–1981), author and poet
• Rachel Annand Taylor (1876–1960), poet and critic

Music

Singer Annie Lennox

• Connor Ball (born 1996), bassist of The Vamps
• John Black (born 1967), music manager
• Yvie Burnett (born 1963), opera singer, vocal coach and TV personality
• Ian Campbell (1933–2012), folk musician
• Ronald Center (1913–1973), composer
• Finlay Dun (1795–1853), musician and collector of Scottish songs
• Gordon Duthie (born 1987), alternative music artist
• Mary Garden (1874–1967), opera singer
• Evelyn Glennie (born 1965), virtuoso percussionist
• Calvin Goldspink (born 1989), singer and US-based actor
• Jimmy Hastings (born 1938), rock and jazz instrumentalist
• Annie Lennox (born 1954), singer
• Neil Mackie (born 1946), tenor and professor at Royal College of Music
• Alasdair MacLean (born 1974), vocalist and songwriter
• Terry McDermott, singer
• John McLeod (born 1934), composer
• Jimmy Murrison (born 1964), lead guitarist
• Pallas (1980 – present), progressive rock band
• Stanley Robertson (1940–2009), ballad singer and storyteller
• Seb Rochford, drummer
• Emeli Sandé (born 1987), singer

Politics

• Richard Alexander (1934–2008), former MP for Newark
• Sir John Anderson (1858–1915), Governor of Straits Settlements
• Sir John Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet (1912–1992), politician
• Norman Baker, MP for Lewes and former UK government minister
• Kirsty Blackman, SNP MP for Aberdeen North (from 2015)
• William Mortimer Clark (1836–1917), Canadian politician
• James Cran, former MP for Beverley, PPS, Maastricht Rebel and Shadow Deputy Leader of the House
• Stuart Donaldson, SNP MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (from 2015)
• James Moir Ferres (1813–1870), Upper Canadian politician and journalist
• Frank Findlay (1884–1945), New Zealand politician
• James Forrester (1937–2011), U.S. politician
• Sydney Gardner (1884–1965), Australian politician
• The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP (born 1967), Government Chief Whip and former Secretary of State for Education
• Rosemary Hall (1925–2011), Scottish Nationalist politician
• John Hope (1842–1926), Tasmanian politician
• Joseph Hunter (1839–1935), Canadian politician and surveyor
• William Alexander Hunter (1844–1898), politician and jurist
• James Hutchison (1859–1909), Australian politician
• Sir William MacGregor (1846–1919), Lieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea, Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador and Governor of Queensland
• Callum McCaig, MP for Aberdeen South (from 2015)
• Donald Melville (1829–1919), Australian politician
• Alexander Mitchell (1817–1887), U.S. politician
• Robert Morrison, 1st Baron Morrison (1881–1953), British politician and parliamentary private secretary
• John Paton (1886–1976), politician and British MP
• William Bain Scarth (1837–1902), Canadian politician
• Sir Richard Shepherd, MP for Aldridge-Brownhills
• Graham Simpson (living), Conservative MSP
• Thomas Smith (1745–1809), U.S. politician
• Nicol Stephen, Baron Stephen (born 1960), Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Leader of Scottish Liberal Democrats
• John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle
• John Strachan, U.S. politician
• Ross Thomson (born 1987), politician and MSP
• Eilidh Whiteford, SNP MP for Banff and Buchan (from 2010)

Religion

• Oswald Chambers (1874–1917), seminarian
• Alexander Cruden (1699–1770), theologian
• Alexander Ewing (1814–1873), church leader
• Rev. John Ferguson (1852–1925), Presbyterian minister and Acting Principal of St Andrew's College at University of Sydney^[4]
• Alan Main (born 1936), minister and Moderator of the Church of Scotland
• Rev. Scott Rennie (born 1972), minister and theologian
• John Strachan (1778–1867), first Anglican Bishop of Toronto
• William Turner (1844–1914), Roman Catholic Bishop of Galloway (1893–1914)
• Alexander Young (died 1684), Bishop of Edinburgh, then of Ross

Scholarship

• William Barclay (1546–1608), jurist
• John Hill Burton (1809–1881), Historiographer Royal
• Gilbert Jack (c. 1578 – 1628), Aristotelian philosopher and polymath
• Michael Lynch (born 1946), historian
• George Croom Robertson (1842–1892), philosopher

Science and medicine

Astronomer James Gregory

• Terence Cawthorne (1902–1970), ear, nose and throat surgeon, knighted
• Sir Andrew Clark, 1st Baronet (1826–1893), physician and pathologist
• Sir David Gill (1843–1914), astronomer
• David Gregory (1659–1708), astronomer
• James Gregory (1638–1675), astronomer and mathematician
• James Charles Inglis (1851–1911), civil engineer, knighted
• Wilson Jameson (1885–1962), physician
• John MacGillivray (1821–1867), naturalist
• William MacGillivray (1796–1852), naturalist and ornithologist
• Francis Masson (1741–1805), botanist
• Robert Morison (1620–1683), botanist and taxonomist

Sports

• Russell Anderson (born 1978), footballer
• Tim Baillie (born 1979), slalom canoer and 2012 Olympic gold medal winner
• George Buchan (born 1950), footballer
• Martin Buchan (born 1949), footballer
• David Carry (born 1981), swimmer and 2006 Commonwealth gold medal winner
• Neil Cochran (born 1965), swimmer and 1984 Olympic bronze medal winner
• Peter Craigmyle (1894 – c. 1980), football referee
• Warren Cummings (born 1980), footballer
• Chris Cusiter (born 1982), rugby union footballer
• Alex Dawson (born 1940), footballer
• Paul Dixon (born 1986), footballer
• Neil Fachie (born 1984), athlete and 2012 Paralympic gold medal winner
• James Angus Gillan (1885–1981), Olympic rower
• John Hewitt (born 1963), footballer and scorer of winning goal in 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup
• Stuart Holden (born 1985), footballer who plays for USA
• Denis Law (born 1940), footballer
• Paul Lawrie (born 1969), golfer
• Graham Leggat (1934–2015), footballer and TV presenter
• Moray Low (born 1984), rugby union player
• Ken Malcolm (1926–2006), footballer
• Shaun Maloney (born 1983), footballer (raised in Aberdeen)
• Bobby McDonald (born 1955), footballer
• Hannah Miley (born 1989), swimmer and 2010 Commonwealth gold medal winner (raised in Aberdeen)
• Willie Moir (1922–1988), footballer
• Bill Murray (1901–1961), footballer
• George Mutch (1912–2001), footballer and trainer
• Gavin Rae (born 1977), footballer
• Richie Ramsay (born 1983), golfer
• John Rattray (born 1978), skateboarder
• Robbie Renwick (born 1988), swimmer and 2010 Commonwealth gold medal winner (raised in Aberdeen)
• Barry Robson (born 1978), footballer
• Andrew Shinnie (born 1989), footballer
• Fred Smith (1926–2005), footballer
• Neil Simpson (born 1961), footballer (raised in Aberdeenshire)
• Jason White (born 1978), rugby union player (raised in Aberdeen)

Stage and screen

• John Henry Anderson (1814–1874), magician
• William Devlin (1911–1987), stage, film and TV actor
• James Donald (1917–1993), actor
• Tunji Kasim (living), actor
• Rose Leslie, actress
• Laurie Macmillan (1947–2001), broadcaster
• Scotland the What?, comedy revue act
• Michael Sheard (1938–2005), actor
• Jeff Stewart (born 1955), actor
• Annie Wallace, actress

Others

• John Watt Beattie (1859–1930), Tasmanian photographer
• Leslie Benzies, video game producer and President of Rockstar North, creators of the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series
• Tom Dalgliesh (born 1945), games designer
• Juliet-Jane Horne (born 1984), model, Miss Scotland 2000
• George Washington Wilson (1823–1892), photographer
• Mary Helen Young, (1883–1945), nurse, French Resistance, gassed by Nazis

References