Alexander Durie Russell

He was born in Edinburgh on 22 July 1872, the son of Janet Durie and her husband, Thomas Russell, a grocer and spirit dealer.^[1] The family lived at 19 Graham Street and had a shop at 42 West Richmond Street in the city's South Side.^[2] Russell was educated at George Heriot's School then studied mathematics and natural philosophy (physics) at the University of Edinburgh graduating with a BSc in 1896. While at University he was awarded a Neil Arnott Scholarship in Experimental Physics, and studied chemistry under Alexander Crum Brown, mathematics with George Chrystal and physics with Peter Guthrie Tait.^[1]

On graduating he became a Demonstrator in physics at the University. He then taught, first at Morelands School in Edinburgh then in the summer of 1897 went to Stranraer High School.^[3] In 1899 he joined Falkirk High School where he stayed for the rest of his career.^[1]

In 1905 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were William Peddie, John Brown Clark, Robert Traill Omond, and Cargill Gilston Knott.^[4]

He retired in 1937 and died on 20 January 1955.^[3]

He was married.