| Administrative History | Professor Thomas Gordon (1714 - 1797) Thomas Gordon was born in 1714, the son of George Gordon, professor of Hebrew at King’s College, Aberdeen, from 1693 to 1730. Thomas Gordon graduated MA there in 1731 and held various university appointments from 1734 until his death in 1797, as Humanist, Regent, and finally Professor of Greek. He was the grandson of George Gordon, Principal of the College in 1684. His great-uncle Patrick Gordon was Professor of Hebrew from 1674 to 1693. Thomas Gordon was also the grandfather (by his eldest child, Elizabeth) of Robert Eden Scott, who held a number of posts at King’s College. His collections of manuscripts relating to staff and students formed a valuable source of information for the compilation of the works on the history of the universities of Aberdeen and their alumni edited by P. J. Anderson (c 1850-1926). He was an active member of the Aberdeen Philosophical Society, fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, an honorary member of the Aberdeen Medical Society, member of the moderate party of the Church of Scotland.
He married, probably on 18 October 1742, Lilias Forbes, with whom he had five children: Elizabeth, born 4 March 1745, Margaret, born 11 February 1746; Ann, born 24 August 1847; Diana, born 12 July 1749 and died 25 June 1751; Alexander Harry, born 19 September 1751 and died 23 August 1755; Lilias Forbes died 30 April 1764; Re-married to Elizabeth Innes (widow of the deceased Mr James Walker, minister at Peterhead) 28 May 1772;
He is buried in St Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen. |