Sir James Donaldson

author

Sir James Donaldson

1831–1915

A leading Scottish classicist and education reformer, he spent nearly three decades guiding the University of St Andrews while also writing on classical learning, theology, and early Christian literature.

1 Audiobook

Woman; Her Position and Influence in Ancient Greece and Rome, and Among the Early Christians

Woman; Her Position and Influence in Ancient Greece and Rome, and Among the Early Christians

by Sir James Donaldson

About the author

Born in Aberdeen on 26 April 1831, Sir James Donaldson was a Scottish classical scholar, educational writer, and theologian. He studied at Aberdeen Grammar School and Marischal College, and later became known for work that ranged across Greek and Latin scholarship as well as Christian and biblical studies.

Donaldson is especially associated with the University of St Andrews, where he became Principal of the United College in 1886 and served until his death in 1915. Sources from St Andrews describe him as an eminent scholar and a respected educationalist, and his long tenure came during a period of expansion and change for the university.

He died on 9 March 1915. His reputation rests not only on his scholarship but also on his wider influence on Scottish education, and his papers and book collection remain preserved at St Andrews.