John Caird 
Biography of John Caird
John Caird
John Caird (1820-1898) was a Church of Scotland minister and theologian who became Professor of Divinity in 1862 and was Principal from 1873 to 1898. The Caird Scholarship is named for him.
Caird was born in Greenock and graduated MA from the University in 1845. He became well-known as a charismatic preacher who was appointed one of Queen Victoria's chaplains-in-ordinary in Scotland. He was awarded an honorary DD by the University in 1860, two years before he was invited to fill the Divinity chair. His brother Edward became Professor of Moral Philosophy in 1866.
As Principal, Caird guided the University through the period of radical reorganisation which followed the move to Gilmorehill in 1870, the appointment of the Universities Commission in 1876 and the University Act of 1889. He encouraged attempts to create a University Union in the 1880s. He was the first President of the Glasgow Association for the Higher Education of Women, formed in 1877, and he played a key role in discussions which resulted in the merger of Queen Margaret College and the University in 1892.
Summary
John Caird
Theologian
Born 15 December 1820.
Died 30 July 1898.
GU Degrees: MA, 1845; DD, 1860;
University Link: Graduate, Principal, Professor
Occupation categories: clergy; theologians
NNAF Reference: GB/NNAF/P4534
View Major Archive Collection Record
Search for this person in the DNB
Record last updated: 14th Jul 2009
Country Associations
University Connections
University Roles
- Principal, 1873-1897
- Graduate [View John Caird's record in the list of graduates]
- Professor
Awards
Academic Posts
Professorships:
Buildings
Rooms
On This Day Entries
- The University left the Old College on High Street for its new premises in Gilmorehill (July 29 1870)
- Retirement of Principal Caird (June 9 1898)
