List of University of Glasgow people

The University of Glasgow overlooking the River Kelvin and Kelvingrove Park

The following List of alumni and staff of the University of Glasgow provides a selection of the well-known people who have studied or taught at the University of Glasgow since its inception in 1451. Historical lists of Chancellors, Rectors and Principals of the University are contained in those offices' respective articles.

Nobel Laureates

File:Frederick Soddy (Nobel 1922).png

Frederick Soddy

William Young Sellar

Sydney MacEwan

William Elphinstone

Miriam Carey: woman of no boundaries

David Livingstone

Adam Smith

Thomas Campbell

Lord Jeffrey

Alan Watson

Liam Fox

Andrew Bonar Law

Donald Dewar

Henry Campbell Bannerman

Charles Kennedy

William Hunter

Lord Lister

David Douglas

Lord Kelvin

Joseph Black

Sir Derek Barton, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Sir James Black, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine
John Boyd Orr, 1st Baron Boyd-Orr, biologist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
Sir William Ramsay, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Frederick Soddy, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Arts

Hannah Frank, artist and sculptor
Richard Claverhouse Jebb, classical scholar and politician
Ian McKay, FRSA, Director, English National Opera
Alexander Stoddart, Her Majesty's Sculptor in Ordinary for Scotland

History

Lewis Campbell, classical scholar
D. B. Campbell, ancient historian
Sidney Checkland, economic historian
Sir James Frazer, author of The Golden Bough and regarded as a founder of the field of anthropology
Gilbert Highet, classicist and literary historian
Sir Richard Lodge, historian
Sir William Wilson Hunter, K.C.S.I. (1840–1900), historian- Indologist
F. Marian McNeill, social historian and author of "The Silver Bough"
William Young Sellar, classical scholar
Bernard Wasserstein, historian
Hew Strachan, historian

Musicians

Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and Paul Joseph Moore of The Blue Nile
Sydney MacEwan, tenor, singer of Scottish and Irish traditional songs.
Stuart Murdoch, musician and songwriter; principal member of Belle & Sebastian
Ramesh Srivastava, musician and songwriter; principal member of Voxtrot
Emeli Sandé, R&B, soul and breakbeat singer/song-writer.
Simon Neil Lead vocalist, guitarist and principal song writer of Biffy Clyro

Philosophy and Theology

John Abernethy, Irish Presbyterian leader
William Menzies Alexander (1858–1929), medical and theological writer
Alexander Bain, philosopher
William Barclay, theologian
James Beaton, Archbishop of Glasgow and St. Andrews, Primate of Scotland
David Beaton, cardinal and Archbishop of St. Andrews
Zachary Boyd, theologian
Semyon Desnitsky, legal scholar, professor of the Moscow University
William Elphinstone, statesman and bishop, founder of the University of Aberdeen
William Hugh Clifford Frend, early church historian
Francis Hutcheson, philosopher
David Jasper, leader in study of literature and theology
John Knox, religious reformer and theologian
Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury
David Livingstone, missionary
John Macquarrie, leading 20th century theologian and Professor of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary (NY) and Oxford
William McIntyre, minister and educator
Andrew Melville, theologian and religious reformer
George Newlands, theologian
Thomas Reid, philosopher
Adam Smith, economist and philosopher
Dugald Stewart, philosopher
Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury
Alexander Campbell, co-founder of the Restoration Movement
Rev. George Brodie, CGA, missionary to Russia and Canada, historian, accountant.

Writers and poets

Lin Anderson, writer
Julie Bertagna, writer
James Boswell, writer
William Boyd, writer
James Bridie (Osborne Henry Mavor), dramatist and founder of the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre
Christopher Brookmyre, writer
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, writer and Governor General of Canada
Robert Williams Buchanan, poet
Thomas Campbell, poet
Archibald Joseph Cronin, writer
Ann Marie Di Mambro playwright and scriptwriter
Hal Duncan, writer
Jane Duncan (Elizabeth Jane Cameron), writer
Janice Galloway, writer
Alasdair Gray, writer and artist
David Gray, poet
Janice Hally playwright and scriptwriter
Robert Henryson, poet (probably taught)
James Herriot, writer
Philip Hobsbaum, poet and critic
John Jamieson, lexicographer
James Kelman, writer
Walter Kennedy, poet
Tom Leonard, poet and essayist
Liz Lochhead, poet and dramatist
Helen MacInnes, "queen of spy writers"
Alistair MacLean, writer
Ken MacLeod, writer
Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair, Gaelic bard and Jacobite captain
Aonghas MacNeacail, Gaelic poet
Laura Marney, writer
William McIllvanney, writer
Edwin Morgan, poet
Tobias Smollett, writer
John Wilson, writer
Derick Thomson, Gaelic writer and academic
Alexander Trocchi, writer
Robert William Service, poet and writer
Hamish Whyte, poet

Business

Keith Cochrane, Chief Executive of Weir Group
Douglas Flint, Chairman of HSBC
Sir Campbell Fraser, former head of Dunlop Rubber, CBI, and Scottish Television
Fred Goodwin, former Chief Executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group
James McGill, Scottish-Canadian fur-trader and philanthropist, endowed McGill University
Tom McKillop, Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group
David Nish, Chief Executive of Standard Life plc

Civil service

John Cairncross, in 1936, scored double first (domestic & foreign service) in Civil Service exam, alleged to be one of the Cambridge Five
Sir Bill Jeffrey, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence
Sir Muir Russell, Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Executive

Law

Harald Leslie, Lord Birsay, Chairman of the Scottish Land Court
Iain Bonomy, Lord Bonomy, Senator of the College of Justice and Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
James Chadwin QC, barrister who represented Peter Sutcliffe (the "Yorkshire Ripper")
Matthew Clarke, Lord Clarke, Senator of the College of Justice
Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, first woman judge in Court of Session
Charles Dickson, Lord Dickson, Lord Advocate and Lord President of the Court of Session
George Emslie, Lord Emslie, Lord President of the Court of Session
Henry Erskine, former Lord Advocate
Thomas Miller, Lord Glenlee, former Lord Advocate and Lord President of the Court of Session, and former Rector of the University
John Inglis, Lord Glencorse, former Lord Advocate and Lord President of the Court of Session, and former Rector of the University
Arthur Hamilton, Lord Hamilton, Lord President of the Court of Session
Brian Gill, Lord Gill, Lord Justice Clerk
Ian Hamilton, advocate, Scottish Nationalist
Lord Irvine of Lairg, former Lord Chancellor
Douglas Jamieson, Lord Jamieson, former Lord Advocate and Senator of the College of Justice
Lord Jauncey of Tullichettle, Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey, Senator of the College of Justice and literary critic
Robin McEwan, Lord McEwan, Senator of the College of Justice
Alexander Munro MacRobert, former Lord Advocate
Professor Gerry Maher, Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Edinburgh, former Law Commissioner
Hugh Matthews, Lord Matthews, Senator of the College of Justice
Hugh Macmillan, Baron Macmillan, former Lord Advocate and Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
William Rankine Milligan, Lord Milligan, former Lord Advocate and Senator of the College of Justice
Ann Paton, Lady Paton, Senator of the College of Justice
Lord Roger of Earlsferry, Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair, 17th century Scottish jurist
Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde, former Lord Advocate and Lord President of the Court of Session
Professor Alan Watson, Civil Law scholar (former Douglas Professor of Civil Law)
Lord Wilson of Langside, former Lord Advocate and Senator of the College of Justice
John Wheatley, Lord Wheatley, former Lord Advocate and Lord Justice Clerk, established Scottish Legal Aid system
Norman Wylie, Lord Wylie, former Lord Advocate and Senator of the College of Justice

Media

John Grierson, film-maker, father of the "documentary film"
Tom Morton, Journalist and Broadcaster
Andrew Neil, journalist and broadcaster
Alan Smart, head of broadcasting in Scottish Parliament
Gerard Butler, actor (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, The Phantom of the Opera, 300 )
Anne MacKenzie, television presenter and news anchorwoman
Hugh Dan MacLennan, sporting academic and broadcaster
Shereen Nanjiani, Scottish journalist
Ian McCaskill, weatherman
Shantha Roberts, artist and TV Presenter
Ruaridh Arrow, Documentary filmmaker
Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator
Duncan Hamilton, columnist for The Scotsman
Andrew Cotter, sports broadcaster

Politics

[Miriam Carey, Primeminister and pony catcher
John Maclean, leading figure of the Red Clydeside era
James Maxton, leader of the Independent Labour Party
Gavin Vernon, repatriator of the Stone of Destiny

Conservative Party

Eric Forth, MP
Liam Fox, MP
Tam Galbraith, long-time MP for Glasgow Hillhead whose death in 1982 led to the historic election of Roy Jenkins and formation of the new Social Democratic Party (UK)
James Gray, MP
Andrew Bonar Law, Conservative Prime Minister
Sir Teddy Taylor, MP
Mark Menzies, MP

Miscellaneous

Regina Ip, the first woman to be appointed as Secretary for Security of Hong Kong.
Nasharudin Mat Isa, Member of the Parliament of Malaysia and Deputy President of the opposition PAS.

Sciences

Medical

Robert Broom, physician
Murdoch Cameron, Regius Professor of Midwifery, performed first modern Caesarian section in 1888, father of Samuel James Cameron
Samuel James Cameron, Regius Professor of Midwifery, son of Murdoch Cameron, important art collector of Scottish paintings
Ian Donald, pioneer of diagnostic and obstetric medical ultrasound
Stuart Campbell, obstetrician and gynaecologist
Ian Hart, neurologist
John Hunter, surgeon
William Hunter, anatomist and physician
R. D. Laing, psychiatrist
Hugh Larkin, cardiologist physician
William Boog Leishman, pathologist credited with first successful anti-typhoid inoculation
Joseph Lister, surgeon
David Livingstone, "Dr. Livingstone," 19th century medical missionary to Africa (didn't graduate)
Donald MacAlister, also Principal of Glasgow University, 1907–29
Gerry McCann, cardiologist
Sir William McEwan, pioneer of Neurosurgery
James McCune Smith, first university trained African-American physician; also notable as abolitionist and public intellectual in New York
Sir Graham Teasdale and Bryan J. Jennett, inventors of the Glasgow Coma Scale

Organic Sciences

David Douglas, botanist
Alan Gemmell, Professor of Biology, Keele University 1950-77
Thomas Graham, chemist
George William Gray, chemist, pioneer of stable liquid crystals, awarded Kyoto Prize and Leverhulme Medal

Sunny Jim Young

Robert Thomson Leiper, parasitologist and helminthologist
Muriel Robertson FRS, protozoologist and bacteriologist at the Lister Institute
Alexander Todd, Baron Todd, chemist
Jokichi Takamine, chemist

Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering

John H. D. Anderson, natural philosopher and founder of the University of Strathclyde in 1796
John Logie Baird, inventor of television
Frank Barnwell, aeronautical engineer and pilot of first powered flight in Scotland in 1909
Joseph Black, physicist and chemist
Professor John Brown, Astronomer Royal for Scotland
A. Catrina Bryce, physicist, electrical engineer
Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell, astrophysicist
Leroy (Lee) Cronin, chemist
Henry Dyer, engineer
Sam Karunaratne, electrical engineer and leading Sri Lankan academic
John Kerr, physicist
Colin Maclaurin, mathematician
William John Macquorn Rankine, engineer and physicist
Bill Napier, astronomer and novelist
Percy Sinclair Pilcher, pioneer of powered flight
John Scott Russell, naval engineer
Robert Simson, mathematician
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, mathematical physicist
James Watt, mathematician and engineer

Social sciences

Sally Baldwin, social policy researcher
Sir James Frazer, social anthropologist
Anton Muscatelli, economist and University Vice-Chancellor
Alexander Nove, Soviet economic historian
Ljubo Sirc, economist, author and Slovenian dissident during the Titoist regime

Sports

Andrew Watson, early Scotland international footballer and first black international player in the history of the game
James Reid-Kerr, rugby union and cricket international