Appointment of William Robertson as Principal of Edinburgh University, 1762

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh, George Drummond (1688-1766), assisted in the appointment of Robertson in becoming Principal of the Edinburgh University. Robertson began his career in office by establishing a Library Fund; and developed a scheme of increasing the number of buildings to the University, to be designed and built by his cousin Robert Adam (1728-1792); and was in progress when Robertson passed away. In his position of Principal, he elevated the academic standing of the University throughout Britain and Europe; the roll call of important and influential people under his Principalship included Dugald Stewart (1753-1828), Adam Ferguson (1723-1816), John Playfair (1748-1819), Andrew Dalzel (1742-1806), Hugh Blair (1718-1800), John Bruce (1745-1826), John Robison (1739-1805), Alexander Fraser Tytler (1747-1813), John Hope (1725-1786), Daniel Rutherford (1749-1819), William Cullen (1710-1790), James Gregory (1753-1821) and John Gregory (1724-1773), Alexander Monro "secundus" (1733-1817), Joseph Black (1728-1799), and Francis Home (1719-1813) among others, establishing the Enlightenment credentials of Edinburgh and Scotland. Outside the University, he was one of founders of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1782.