Francis Anderson

Sir Francis Anderson (3 September 1858 – 24 June 1941) was a Scottish-born Australian philosopher and educator. Early life Francis Anderson was born in Glasgow, the son of Francis Anderson, a manufacturer, and his wife Elizabeth Anna Lockart, née Ellison. Anderson was educated at Old Wynd and Oatlands public schools and became a pupil-teacher at the age of 14. He went on to the University of Glasgow, matriculating in 1876 and graduated M.A. in 1883. He was awarded Sir Richard Jebb's prize for Greek literature, took first place in the philosophical classes of Professors Veitch and Caird, and won two scholarships. For two years he was assistant to the professor of moral philosophy, studied in the theological faculty with the intention of entering the ministry, but apparently was not ordained. To Australia Anderson came to Melbourne in 1886 as assistant to the Rev. Dr Charles Strong at his Australian Church. This was a valuable experience to Anderson as his work brought him in contact with both the best and the worst types of human nature. In 1888, instead of returning to Scotland as originally intended, he was appointed lecturer in logic and mental philosophy at the University of Sydney, and was the first Challis professor of those subjects from the beginning of 1890. He held this position until the end of 1921, when he retired and became emeritus professor. Anderson was president of the mental science and education section at the meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science held at Brisbane in January 1895 and gave an address on "Politics and Education" and, on 26 June 1901, at a conference of teachers, in an address on "The Public School System of New South Wales", spoke frankly on "the defects, limitations and needs of the existing system of education". Mr J. Perry, the minister of public instruction, immediately called a conference of inspectors and principal officers of his department and' in 1902, J. W. Turner and Sir George Handley Knibbs were appointed as commissioners to inquire into educational systems in Europe and America. Their report confirmed Anderson's strictures, the pupil-teacher system was abolished, and the training of teachers at the Teachers' College was reconstructed.