Dugald Stewart (1753-1828)

Dugald Stewart was born in Edinburgh on 22 November 1753. He was the son of Matthew Stewart (1715-1785), Professor of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh . He was educated at the city's Royal High School where he became interested in the classics, and in session 1765-1766 entered Edinburgh University attending Greek, Logic, and Natural Philosophy, and warming to Mathematics and Moral Philosophy. In session 1771-1772 he attended Glasgow University. In 1772 he returned to Edinburgh to conduct Mathematics classes at Edinburgh University and from 1775 he held the Mathematics professorship jointly with his father. In 1778-1779 he lectured for Adam Ferguson (1723-1816) who had gone to America temporarily, and in 1783 he visited Paris. On the resignation of Ferguson in 1785, Stewart became Professor of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh University. After the death of his first wife, Helen Bannatyne, in 1787 he spent the summers of 1788 and 1789 in France and became sympathetic to the revolutionary cause. On 26 July 1790 he married Helen D'Arcy Cranstoun. They had one son, Matthew who died a Colonel in 1851. Stewart's published work includes the three volume Elements of the philosophy of the human mind (1792-1817), and Outlines of moral philosophy (1793). Professor Dugald Stewart died on 11 June 1828.