John Macmurray Papers

Scope and Content

The Papers of John Macmurray contain manuscripts and typescripts of works; transcripts and offprints; lectures and lecture notes, sermons and addresses; exercise books, note books, and loose pages; material in binders and folders.

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Administrative / Biographical History

John Macmurray retired as Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Edinburgh in 1958. Macmurray was born in Maxwellton, Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland on 16 February 1891. He was educated at the Grammar School and at Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen, and then at Glasgow University from which he graduated in 1913. He then went to Balliol College, Oxford, as Snell Exhibitioner and Newlands Scholar, although the First World War interrupted this. His military service lasted between 1914-19, and he served as a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1914, and as a Lieutenant in the Cameron Highlanders from 1916. He was awarded the Military Cross. From 1919 he held academic posts at the University of Oxford and at the University of Manchester, and in 1921 became Professor of Philosophy in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Between 1922-28 he was back at Balliol College, Oxford, and between 1928-44 was Grote Professor of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic at the University of London. In 1944 until 1958 he was Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, and also Gifford Lecturer, Glasgow University, 1953-54. Macmurray's publication record spanned some thirty years, fromFreedom in the modern world(1932) toSearch for reality in religion(1965). Professor John Macmurray died 21 June 1976.

Access Information

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Alternative Form Available

There is a master negative microfilm at Mic.Dup. 668-670.

Related Material

The Index to Manuscripts shows references to a letter of Macmurray, as well as an ink sketch, and a photograph of Macmurray.