James Watt


Quick Info

Born
21 March 1863
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died
3 December 1945
Edinburgh, Scotland

Summary
James Watt was an Edinburgh lawyer and actuary. He was interested in science, being a member of the Scottish Meteorological Society and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Biography

James Watt was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh. He did not study at university, but rather qualified as a solicitor while working in the office of Messrs Mill & Bonar. He was appointed as personal clerk to Mr John Blair, of Messrs Davidson & Syme, W.S. in 1889. In 1891 he was apprenticed as a Writer to the Signet, being admitted to the Society of Writers to the Signet in 1896. He became a senior partner in Messrs Davidson & Syme in 1912.

James Watt married Menie Jamieson (born in Glasgow in about 1872) in 1899; they had one daughter, Jessie and four sons. Menie was a daughter of the Rev. W C E Jamieson of the Tron Church, Edinburgh. She died in 1957.

Watt was a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries, a member of the Scottish Meteorological Society, and a fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society which he serve as Vice-President. In session 47 of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society, namely session 1928-29, he joined the Society. He was elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh on 20 February 1911, his proposers being James Campbell Dewar, Charles Scott Dickson (Lord Dickson), Sir James Dewar, A Crum Brown. He served on the Council from 1924 to 1946, was Treasurer for eleven years from 1926 to 1937, an was Vice-President from 1937 to 1940, then again from 1941 to 1944.

An obituary, written by E M Wedderburn, appears in the Royal Society of Edinburgh Year Book 1947, pages 36-37.
We give a version of this obituary at THIS LINK.


References (show)

  1. E M Wedderburn, James Watt, LL.D., W.S., F.F.A., Royal Society of Edinburgh Year Book 1947, 36-37.

Additional Resources (show)

Other pages about James Watt:

  1. Obituary: RSE

Cross-references (show)


Written by J J O'Connor and E F Robertson
Last Update November 2007