Smith, Adam |
| ECONOMIST (SCOTLAND) |
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BORN 5 Jun 1723, Kirkcaldy, Fife - DIED 17 Jul 1790, Edinburgh GRAVE LOCATION Edinburgh: Canongate Churchyard, Royal Mile |
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Adam Smith was the son of the Scottish solicitor Adam Smith, who died two months before young Adam was born. He entered the University of Glasgow when he was fourteen years old. He studied moral philosophy under Francis Hutcheson. In 1740 he went to Oxford, but he considered the teaching there worse than in Glasgow. He left Oxford University in 1746 before his studies were completed. He started lecturing at the University of Edinburgh in 1748. In 1750 he met the philosopher David Hume and they became good friends. In 1751 he obtained a professorship in Glasgow. In 1759 he published "The Theory of Moral Sentiments". It made him famous and students moved from other universities to Glasgow because of him. He received the title Doctor of Laws in 1763. He gave up his position to become the well paid tutor of the young Henry Scott, Duke of Buccleuch. They travelled in Europe and he met Voltaire in Geneva and Benjamin Franklin in Paris. In 1766 his tutorship ended and he returned to Kirkaldy. There he wrote his famous work "An Inquiry Into The Nature And Causes Of Wealth Of Nations". It was a huge success. In 1773 he had been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London. He was appointed commissioner of customs in Scotland and lived with his mother in Canongate in Edinburgh from 1778 until her death in 1784. He was a fouding member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783. From 1787 to 1789 he was Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow. He died in 1790 in Edingburgh. Related persons • had work translated by Condorcet, Sophie de • met Franklin, Benjamin • was a friend of Hume, David • influenced Say, Jean-Baptiste • met Voltaire |
| Images | |
 The grave of Adam Smith at Canongate Churchyard, Edinburgh. Picture by Androom (04 Nov 2019) |
 Statue of Adam Smith in Edinburgh. Picture by Androom (03 Nov 2019) |
Sources • Adam Smith - Wikipedia (EN) |
