William Purdie Dickson


William Purdie Dickson was a Scottish minister and theologian. He was Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow from 1873 to 1895. The William Dickson Prize is named in his honour.

Early life

William Purdie Dickson was born 22 October 1823 in Pettinain, Lanarkshire, Scotland, the son of George Dickson, a minister in Kilrenny, Fife, Scotland. The younger Dickson attended Lanark School and St. Andrews University. He was ordained in Cameron, Fife, Scotland, on 9 September 1851 and received his Doctor of Divinity from St. Andrews in 1865.

Academic life

In 1863 Dickson came to Glasgow, Scotland, as the Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow, a position he held until 1873. From 1873 to 1895 he served as the professor of divinity after which he was succeeded by William Hastie.
Additionally, in 1866 he was also appointed the curator of the University of Glasgow Library. In that capacity he rearranged the entire library inventory into a single alphabetical sequence and produced a complete catalogue and other finding aids.
Dickson also translated several publications during his career, including Theodor Mommsen's History of Rome and Provinces of the Roman Empire.
He was President of the Library Association in 1888 and Convener of the Education Committee of the Church of Scotland from 1875 to 1888.
Dickson was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree from The University of Glasgow in 1896.

William Dickson Prize

The William Dickson Prize was founded at The University of Glasgow in 1895 by Dickson and his wife. The prize is awarded annually to the most distinguished student in the College of Divinity.

Personal life

Dickson was married to Tassie Wardlaw Small on 7 December 1853 in Cameron, Fife, Scotland. His wife was the daughter of John Small, acting Librarian of the University of Edinburgh, and the sister of John Small, who succeeded his father as Librarian. Dickson's wife and family were members of the Smalls of Dirnanean, Perthshire, Scotland. The couple had two daughters and a son.
William Purdie Dickson died on 9 March 1901.