Papers of Professor Alan Grant Ogilvie (1887-1954)

The collection is composed of: notebooks and correspondence; a draft letter to Marion I. Newbigin, 1932; photographs; and, The physical geography of the coasts of the Moray Firth. Included in the boxes is an album of photographs of the British Salonika Force, 1916-1918.

Alan Grant Ogilvie was born in Edinburgh in 1887. He was the son of Sir Francis Grant Ogilvie, Principal of Heriot-Watt (now University), and was educated at George Watson's College, Edinburgh, and at Westminster School. He then studied at Magdalen College, Oxford. He also studied at Imperial College and at the universities of Berlin and Paris. Ogilvie served with the Royal Field Artillery between 1911 and 1919 and was mentioned in despatches. He attended the 1919 Peace Delegation to Paris. Wartime had interrupted his career which began as a Demonstrator in Geography at the University of Oxford, 1912-1914. After the war he became a Reader in Geography at Manchester University, 1919-1920. Between 1920 and 1923 Ogilvie was Chief of the Hispanic American Division of the American Geographical Society of New York, 1920-1923. In 1923 he became a Lecturer at Edinburgh University, and a Reader in 1924. In 1931 he was appointed Professor of Geography at Edinburgh. During the Second World War he was a Captain in the Home Guard, 1941-1944. His publications include Some aspects of boundary settlement at the peace conference (1922), and Geography of the central Andes (1928). Professor Alan Grant Ogilvie died on 10 February 1954.

Generally open for consultation to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance.

Note that when this record was created any associated photographic/illustrative was unseen.

The biographical/administrative history was compiled using the following material: (1) Who was who 1951-1960. Vol.5. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1961.

Compiled by Graeme D Eddie, Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections Division.

Important finding aids generally are: the alphabetical Index to Manuscripts held at Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections and Archives, consisting of typed slips in sheaf binders and to which additions were made until 1987; and the Index to Accessions Since 1987.

Check the local Indexes for details of any additions.

The local Indexes show references to Ogilvie related material (check the Indexes for more details): letters to Ogilvie from I. Bowman, A. R. B. Haldane, Sir J. H. Jeans, Sir H. J. Mackinder, Marion I. Newbigin, and Sir G. A. Smith, at Dc.4.101-103 Ogilvie; and, in the Sarolea Collection, a letter from Ogilvie to Sarolea, 1926, at Sar.Coll.138. In addition, the UK National Register of Archives (NRA), updated by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, notes: 1913-20: correspondence (24 items) with the Royal Geographical Society, 1913-1920, Royal Geographical Society, see RGS Archives p101.