ANDERSON, Alexander

VHPG0002

Alexander

Anderson

Alexander Anderson was Prof. of Natural Philosophy at Queen's College Galway (1885 -1934) and President of the University (1899-1934)

Alexander Anderson was born in Coleraine on 12 May 1858. He was one of Joseph Larmor’s first students in Queens College Galway and he took first place and gold medal in the BA examination in 1880 and the MA in 1881. He then went to Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge University, taking first place in the open scholarship examination. He graduated as Sixth Wrangler (Wikipedia, 2024) in 1884. He was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy at Queens College Galway in 1885 to succeed Joseph Larmor. Shortly after his appointment, practical laboratory Physics classes were introduced into the curriculae for Science, Medical and Engineering students. The Department of Natural Philosophy provided a medical radiography service in Galway from 1898. He was also interested in research in Physics as reflected through research publications in the Philosophical Magazine (Phil. Mag.) such as Phil. Mag., Fifth Series, Vol. 31, 1891; Phil. Mag.. Sixth Series, Vol 22, 1911; Phil. Mag., Sixth Series, Vol. 24, 1912; Phil. Mag., Sixth Series, Vol. 31, 1916; and Phil. Mag., Sixth Series, Vol. 43, 1922. He was President of The University from 1899 to 1934 and during his term, there were new developments such as the incorporation of Queen’s College Galway in the new National University of Ireland and the beginning of the Gaelicisation of the College in 1929. Alexander, son of Daniel Anderson married Emily Bibbs, daughter of William John, Manager in the National Bank, in Dublin on 18 Jul 1888 (Civil records, Irish genealogy, 1888). The witnesses were Joseph Larmor and William J. Binns. They had four children: daughters Elsie, Helen, Emily and son Alexander. They lived at Tariffa Lodge, Maunsells Road, Galway. Upon retirement, Alexander went to Dublin and lived at 7 Pembroke Park, where he died on 5 Sep., 1936. He is buried in Dean’s Grange Cemetery. His portrait image in Presidential robes - in the possession of Tom O'Connor, was painted by Charles Lamb, RHA

Personal communication: Tom O’Connor (notes, 2024).
Tom O’Connor, 'Natural Philosophy / Physics' in Tadhg Foley (ed.), From Queen’s College to National University (Dublin, 1999), pp 184-217.
Wikipdia contributors, ‘Alexander Anderson’, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrangler_(University_of_Cambridge)#Past_wranglers, accessed 2 Mar 2024.
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1888/10776/5929946.pdf

Tom O’Connor, S.G. Jennings, ‘Alexander Anderson’, Visual History Retired Staff Collection, University of Galway Digital Collections, Asset Id 14596, Archival Record Id VHRS

English

University of Galway Library