William Guthrie Gardiner
William Guthrie Gardiner (died 7 November 1935)[1] was a wealthy shipowner who was a generous benefactor to the University of Glasgow, endowing a number of chairs.
Biography[edit]
He was born in Stirling in 1848 or 1849 and married Agnes in 1889. He died in Stirling in 1935 having lived much of his life in Govan.[2] He had two brothers Frederick who became Sir Frederick Crombie Gardiner and James with whom established the company of James Gardiner & Co and made a great success from commercial shipping, owning a number of vessels although the business was not without its risks.[3] The company was sold after the First World War generating a considerable fortune.
University of Glasgow endowments[edit]
This wealth was subsequently used to greatly enrich the University of Glasgow. In 1898 they endowed a lectureship in Organic Chemistry in 1898 and later by endowing a number of Professorships which continue to this day.[4] These include:
- Gardiner chairs of Music (1928)
- Gardiner Chair of Physiological Chemistry (1919) – renamed Chair of Biochemistry in 1958
- Gardiner Chair of Bacteriology (1919) – renamed Chair of Immunology in 1990
- Gardiner Chair Organic Chemistry (1919) – now the Gardiner Chair of Chemistry
- Gardiner Chair in the Pathology of Diseases of Infancy and Childhood (1928)
In 1938, the Gardiner Institute of Medicine was built the costs being met from their bequests.
References[edit]
- ^ Scotland, National Probate Index (Calendar of Confirmations and Inventories), 1876-1936
- ^ Ancestry – William Guthrie Gardiner
- ^ The wreck of the "Morven"[usurped]
- ^ The History & Constitution of the University of Glasgow
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