Peter Alexander (Shakespearean scholar)
Peter Alexander | |
|---|---|
Peter Alexander, by Walter Bird (1957) [1] | |
| Born | 19 September 1893 |
| Died | 18 June 1969 (aged 75) |
| Occupations | |
| Spouse |
Agnes Alexander (m. 1923) |
| Children | 3, including Donald Alexander |
| Relatives | Ann Dunlop Alexander (sister) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Glasgow |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Glasgow |
Peter Alexander, CBE, FBA (19 September 1893 – 18 June 1969) was a Scottish literary editor, Shakespearean scholar and Regius Professor of English Language and Literature, known for The Alexander Text.[1][2][3]
Life
Alexander was born on 19 September 1893 in Glasgow to Robert Alexander (1844–1900), a Head teacher, and Christina Cameron Alexander (née McDonald Munn; 1863–1949), a housewife and teacher.[3][4] Alexander's younger sister was the artist and teacher Ann Dunlop Alexander.[4] Alexander was the paternal nephew of Thomas Alexander (1847–1933), a professor of civil engineering at Imperial College of Engineering and Trinity College Dublin.[4][5][6]
Following the death of his father in 1900, Alexander's mother returned to teaching. He was educated at George Watson's College in Edinburgh, and Whitehill Senior Secondary School in Glasgow. He went to the University of Glasgow in 1911, where John Semple Smart was an influence.[3]
In 1914, Alexander joined the army as a private in the Cameron Highlanders, then becoming an artillery officer. In 1918 after he returned to the University of Glasgow to finish his studies and graduated in 1920 with an MA degree.[3][7]
Alexander was Regius Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Glasgow and a noted Shakespearean scholar.[3] His collected works of Shakespeare are known as "the Alexander text".[8]
Personal life
On 15 June 1923 Alexander married Agnes 'Nan' Effie Alexander (née Macdonald; 1895–1970).[3][9] Together they had three children, including the physician and researcher Donald Alexander (1928–2007) and the literary scholar Nigel Alexander (1934–2005).[3][10][11] Alexander's eldest son, Peter 'Sandy' Alexander (1924–1944), was killed serving in Second World War.[3][12]
On 18 June 1969, Alexander died aged 75 of lung cancer in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire (present-day West Dunbartonshire.[3]
Selected publications
- Shakespeare (Home University Library of Modern Knowledge)
- Shakespeare's Life and Art, 1939.
- Hamlet: Father and Son, 1955.
- The Complete Works of Shakespeare: The Alexander Text
References
- ^ a b "NPG x163479; Peter Alexander – Portrait". National Portrait Gallery Collections. London: National Portrait Gallery.
- ^ "Alexander, Peter, 1893-1969". Library of Congress Name Authority File. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hobsbaum, Philip. "Alexander, Peter (1893–1969), literary editor and scholar". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/60292. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c Bryce, J.C. "Alexander, Peter, 1893–1969" (PDF). Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy. 66: 378–405. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ Jones, Stefanie P. (2009). "Alexander, Thomas A." Dictionary of Irish Biography. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. doi:10.3318/dib.000102.v1. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ "トーマス・アレキサンダ (Thomas Alexander イギリス 1843–1933)". University of Tokyo Library System (in Japanese). Tokyo: University of Tokyo. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ "Peter Alexander: News: The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ Captain Peter Alexander. University of Glasgow. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ "Agnes Effie Alexander". Certified Copy of death certificate for Agnes Effie Alexander. Edinburgh: National Records of Scotland. 26 May 1970.
- ^ Connel, John. "Donald Alexander (1928-2007)". Milestones in European Thyroidology (MET). Nuremberg, Germany: European Thyroid Association. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ "Dr William Donald Alexander FRCP Edin". Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ "Second Lieutenant PETER ALEXANDER". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Maidenhead, United Kingdom. Retrieved 21 November 2025.