George Croom Robertson, 1842-1892

George Croom Robertson was awarded a Ferguson Scholarship in classics and mental philosophy in October 1861. He attended lectures at University College London from 1861 to 1862. In 1862 he went to Germany and studied in Heidelberg and Berlin, and in 1863, Gottingen and later Paris. In 1864 he assisted Alexander Bain in revising 'The senses and the intellect' for a second edition. He also assisted Bain in revising 'The emotions and the will'; compiled the classification of the species of poetry and versification for Bain's 'Manual of English composition and rhetoric' (London, 1866); and later assisted Bain with parts of the manual of ethics for 'Mental and moral science' (London, 1868). In September 1864 he was appointed Assistant to Professor Geddes at Aberdeen University, and lectured on Greek for the two following sessions. He was elected to the Chair of Mental Philosophy and Logic at University College London in December 1866. He began working on Hobbes; part of the result of his researches appeared in the article on Hobbes for the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' and part appeared in Volume 10 of Backwood's 'Philosophical Classics for English readers' (London, 1886). From 1868 to 1873 and again from 1883 to 1888, he was an examiner in philosophy in the University of London. From 1870 to 1876 he was a member of the Committee of the London National Society for Women's Suffrage. In 1871 he took the principal share in a posthumous edition of Grote's 'Aristotle', (with Bain). In 1872 he married Caroline Anna Crompton. Bain first mentioned the founding of a quarterly journal of philosophy in 1874, and Robertson accepted the editorship. At first they hoped to bring out the journal, entitled 'Quarterly review of mental science', in 1875: it finally appeared in January 1876 with the revised title 'Mind'. Various articles by Robertson on Abelard, Analogy, Analysis, Analytic judgements, Autonymy, Association, Axiom, and Hobbes appeared in the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' in 1875. From 1877 to 1878 Robertson was an examiner for the Moral Sciences Tripos in Cambridge. In 1880 he experienced his first onset of serious illness. In 1886 he was elected to serve on the Council of the College. In April 1888 he tried to resign his professorship but this was not accepted by the Council: it was finally accepted in May 1892. In 1891 he resigned as Editor of 'Mind'. In May 1892 Mrs Robertson died, to be followed by Robertson himself in September of the same year.