William Purdie Dickson

William Purdie Dickson DD LLD (1823–1901) 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 Rev George Dickson, the minister of Kilrenny in Fife.

He was ordained in Cameron, Fife, on 9 September 1851 and received a Doctor of Divinity from St. Andrews in 1865 and a Doctor of Laws (LLD) from Edinburgh University in 1885.

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.

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. The prize is awarded annually to the most distinguished student in the College of Divinity.

William Purdie Dickson died on 9 March 1901.

Publications

The Theological Chairs of the Scottish Universities (1883) The Glasgow University Library (1888)