author
1809–1859
A Scottish man of letters, he spent much of his career teaching rhetoric and logic while writing essays, reviews, and historical works. His life joined the worlds of journalism, criticism, and university teaching in early Victorian Britain.
by William Spalding
Born on May 22, 1809, William Spalding was a Scottish writer and academic. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, was called to the Scottish bar in the 1820s, and then moved increasingly toward literary and scholarly work rather than legal practice.
Spalding became known through journalism and criticism, contributing essays and reviews before taking up university posts. He taught at London University for a time and later became professor of rhetoric and logic at the University of St Andrews, a position he held for roughly the last two decades of his life.
Alongside teaching, he wrote on literature and history, and he is remembered as a thoughtful Victorian scholar with a strong interest in clear expression and critical judgment. He died on November 16, 1859.