| Administrative History | Patrick Copland was born in Fintray, Aberdeenshire, in 1748, the son of the minister. He held two chairs in Marischal College, Aberdeen: he was Professor of Natural Philosophy from 1775 to 1779, then Professor of Mathematics from 1779 to 1817, then of Natural Philosophy again until 1822. He was instrumental in setting up a museum of natural philosophy, the first of its kind in Scotland, though he was also a successful and popular teacher. He died in 1822.
Robert Hamilton was born in 1743 in Edinburgh, the son of Gavin Hamilton, bookseller, and grandson of Principal William Hamilton, Edinburgh University. He was appointed rector of Perth Academy in 1769, though he had previously been employed in a bank and a paper-mill. He gained an LL.D. from Edinburgh in 1775. and was appointed as regent and to the chair of Natural Philosophy at Marischal College, Aberdeen, in 1779. He exchanged duties with Patrick Copland (regent from 1775 to 1779) in 1780 but the chairs were not formally exchanged until 1817 when Hamilton became professor of mathematics. He was librarian for a total of twelve years between 1784 and 1823, and his publications reflect the variety of his own career. He died in 1829. |