J. L. Strachan-Davidson

James Leigh Strachan-Davidson (né Strachan; 22 October 1843 – 28 March 1916) was an English classical scholar, academic administrator, translator, and author of books on Roman history. He was Master of Balliol College, Oxford, from 1907 until his death in 1916.

Early life

James Leigh Strachan was born in Byfleet, Surrey, southern England, to James Strachan, a Scottish merchant, and Mary Anne Richardson. He was the eldest among three brothers and had a half-sister from his father's first marriage. His mother died while they were still children and his father remarried. In 1861, he and his father took the surname of Davidson when the family inherited a small estate in Ardgaith, Perthshire.

Education and career

Strachan-Davidson was enrolled at Leamington College at the age of eleven as day-boy. Though not considered to be a robust boy, he played cricket well enough to be a part of the college team. In 1862, he enrolled as a Warner Exhibitioner in Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied the classics. He won the Jenkyns Exhibition in the college in 1864 and was appointed as a fellow of the college in 1866 after his finals. He graduated from Oxford with first-class honours in both Classical Moderations (1864) and Literae Humaniores (1866). He actively participated in the Oxford Union, held the posts of secretary and librarian, and was appointed as the president of the society in 1867.

He was appointed as the Classical tutor at Balliol College in 1872 and mainly lectured in the field of Roman history. He became the senior dean of the college in 1875, who was also the president of the college's Common Room, and acting head in the master's absence. He was elected to the chairmanship of the board of Faculty of Arts in 1893. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) from the University of Oxford for his contributions to the study of Roman criminal law. Upon Edward Caird's resignation due to poor health, he was unanimously elected as the master of Balliol College, in 1907; a position he held until his death in 1916.