List of presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh explained

This is an incomplete list of the presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, which was granted its Royal Charter by Charles II in 1681.

List of presidents

Image	President	Took office	Left office	Notes
	Professor Andrew Elder	2021
	Professor Angela Thomas	2020	2021	Acting President
	Professor Andrew Elder	2020	2020
	Professor Derek Bell	2014	2020
	Dr Neil Dewhurst	2010	2014
	Professor Sir Neil Douglas	2004	2010
	Dr Niall Finlayson	2001	2004
	Professor James Petrie	1997	2001
	Dr John D Cash	1994	1997
	Dr Anthony Toft	1991	1994
	Professor John Richmond	1988	1991
	Professor Michael Oliver	1985	1988
	Professor Ronald Girdwood	1982	1985
	Professor John Strong	1979	1982
	Dr Ronald Robertson^[1]	1976	1979
	Professor Sir John Wenman Crofton^[2]	1973	1976
	Sir John Halliday Croom	1970	1973
	Dr Christopher William Clayson	1966	1969
	Sir Ian George Wilson Hill^[3]	1963	1966
	Sir James Davidson Stuart Cameron	1960	1963
	Dr Andrew Rae Gilchrist	1957	1960
	Sir Leybourne Stanley Patrick Davidson^[4]	1953	1957
	William Alister Alexander^[5]	1951	1953
	Sir David Kennedy Henderson	1949	1951
	William Douglas Denton Small	1947	1949
	David Murray Lyon^[6]	1945	1947
	Andrew Fergus Hewat	1943	1945
	Charles McNeil	1940	1943
	Alexander Goodall^[7]	1937	1940
	Professor William Thomas Ritchie	1935	1937
	Edwin Bramwell	1933	1935	Son of Byrom Bramwell (see below)
	Robert Thin	1931	1933
	Norman Purvis Walker	1929	1931
	Robert Alexander Fleming	1927	1929
	George Matthew Robertson	1925	1927
	George Lovell Gulland	1923	1925
	Sir Robert William Philip^[8]	1918	1923
	Professor William Russell	1916	1918
	Alexander Hugh Freeland Barbour	1914	1916
	John James Graham Brown	1912	1914	Son of Thomas Brown Free Church moderator. Lecturer in Neurology in University of Edinburgh, born 6 September 1853; died 1925
	Sir Byrom Bramwell	1910	1912
	Sir William Allan Jamieson	1908	1910
	John Playfair	1908	1908
	Charles Edward Underhill	1906	1908	Died in office
	John Playfair	1904	1906
	Sir Thomas Smith Clouston	1902	1904
	Sir Thomas Richard Fraser	1900	1902
	James Andrew	1898	1900
	Sir John Batty Tuke	1895	1898
	Sir William Tennant Gairdner^[9]	1893	1895
	Sir Alexander Russell Simpson	1891	1893
	Sir Thomas Grainger Stewart	1889	1891
	Robert Peel Ritchie	1887	1889
	Andrew Douglas Maclagan	1884	1887
	George William Balfour	1882	1884
	Daniel Rutherford Haldane	1879	1882
	Alexander Peddie	1877	1879
	Alexander Keiller	1875	1877
	William Henry Lowe	1873	1875
	Robert Paterson	1871	1873
	Andrew Halliday Douglas	1869	1871
	Dr John Moir	1867	1869
	Dr John Smith	1865	1867
	John Graham MacDonald Burt	1863	1865
	Dr David Craigie	1861	1863
	Alexander Wood	1858	1861
	David Maclagan	1856	1857
	James Begbie	1854	1856
	Thomas Stewart Traill	1852	1854
	Sir James Young Simpson	1850	1852
	Dr William Seller	1848	1850
	Sir Robert Christison	1846	1848	2nd term
	William Beilby	1844	1846
	Robert Renton	1842	1844
	Robert Graham	1840	1842
	Sir Robert Christison	1838	1840	1st term
	William Alison	1836	1838
	John Thomson	1834	1836
	Dr Joshua Henry Davidson	1833	1834	2nd term
	Dr John MacWhirter	1831	1833
	Dr Joshua Henry Davidson	1829	1831	1st term
	Dr Alexander Morison	1827	1829
	Dr Alexander Monro	1825	1827
	Dr Andrew Duncan, Snr	1824	1825
	Andrew Duncan, Jnr	1822	1824
	Dr James Buchan	1819	1822
	Dr Thomas Charles Hope	1815	1819
	Dr James Hamilton (the Younger)	1812	1815
	Dr James Home	1809	1812
	Dr Charles Stuart	1806	1809
	Dr Thomas Spens	1803	1806	son of Nathaniel Spens (see below)
	Dr William Wright	1801	1803
	Dr James Gregory	1798	1801
	Dr Daniel Rutherford	1796	1798
	Dr Nathaniel Spens	1794	1796
	Dr James Hamilton the Elder	1792	1794
	Dr Andrew Duncan, Snr	1790	1792
	Dr Joseph Black	1788	1790
	Dr James Hay	1786	1788
	Dr John Hope	1784	1786
	Dr John Gardiner	1782	1784
	Dr Alexander Monro	1779	1782
	Dr Gregory Grant	1777	1779
	Dr Francis Home	1775	1777
	Dr William Cullen	1773	1775
	Dr Colin Drummond	1772	1773
	Dr John Boswell	1770	1772
	Sir Stuart Threipland	1766	1770
	Dr Robert Whytt	1763	1766
	Sir Alexander Dick, Bt	1756	1763
	Dr John Rutherford	1752	1756
	Dr William Porterfield	1748	1752
	Dr William Cochran	1744	1748
	Dr John Clerk	1740	1744
	Dr Robert Lowis	1735	1740
	Dr John Riddell	1731	1735
	Dr Francis Pringle	1727	1731
	Dr John Drummond	1722	1727
	Dr James Forrest	1719	1722
	Dr William Stewart	1716	1719
	Dr Matthew Sinclare	1708	1716
	Dr William Eccles	1706	1708
	Dr James Halket	1704	1706
	Dr Alexander Dundas	1702	1704
	Dr Robert Trotter	1700	1702
	Dr Matthew Sinclare	1698	1700
	Sir Thomas Burnet	1696	1698
	Dr Robert Trotter	1694	1698
	Sir Archibald Stevenson	1694^[10]	1694	2nd term
	Sir Andrew Balfour	1685	?
	Sir Robert Sibbald	1684	1685
	Sir Archibald Stevenson	1681	1684	1st term, elected ‘at the inaugural meeting of the College on 18 January 1682’^[11]

See also

• List of presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• List of presidents of the Royal College of Physicians

References

• Book: Charter and regulations of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. RCPE. 1789. 97.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Notable Fellows-Dr RF Robertson (1920–1991). 5 November 2015.
2. Web site: Interview: Sir John Crofton. Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. 5 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070848/https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/library-archives/sir-john-crofton. 4 March 2016.
3. Web site: Sir Ian Hill (1905–1982), Professor of Medicine | Art UK .
4. Web site: Interview: Sir Stanley Davidson. Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. 5 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160122013618/http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/library-archives/sir-stanley-davidson-1894-1981. 22 January 2016.
5. Web site: Interview: William Alister Alexander. Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. 5 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160405132432/https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/library-archives/w-alexander-mb-chb-frcped-1890-1976. 5 April 2016.
6. Craig, W. S. History of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, p.1976
7. Craig, W. S. History of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, p.1076
8. Web site: Sir Robert Philip. The Scotsman. 5 November 2015.
9. Book: Lee, Thomas Alexander. Seekers of Truth: The Scottish Founders of Modern Public Accountancy. 143.
10. McCrae, M. Physicians and Society – A History of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, p.36
11. McCrae, M. Physicians and Society – A History of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, p.25