ABSTRACT
Jack, William Brydone (1817-86). Canadian educator, astronomer, mathematician and scientist. Born at Trailflatt in the parish of Tinwald, Scotland, to Janet and Peter Jack; his father was a builder and stonemason. Educated in parish schools and at the Hutton Hall Academy near Dumfries. From 1835 he studied at the University of St. Andrews, graduating MA in 1840. There Jack showed his proficiency in a wide range of subjects. In September 1840 he accepted the post of professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at King’s College, Fredericton, in New Brunswick. There Jack sought to extend the range of studies, by the purchase of scientific equipment. His persistence led to the building of the first observatory in Canada, at Fredericton, in 1851. Together with other enthusiasts for science such as James Robb and J.B. Toldervy, Jack engaged in various experiments and observations, for example determining the exact latitude of Fredericton and other towns. He engaged in correspondence with the Astronomer Royal, George Airey. In 1854 he was instrumental in securing the introduction of a civil engineering course at King’s. In 1859 Jack played a leading part in transforming the college into the University of New Brunswick, a secular institution. In the following year he was appointed president. Jack assembled a competent staff and still taught astronomy, mathematics and natural philosophy himself. Though he frequently toured the province, explaining his vision of the University to the people, enrolment did not grow as quickly as he had hoped, and his plans for the establishment of new faculties were thwarted. In later years his administrative duties left Jack with little time for his own research, though he continued to give important help to the work of the province’s survey department. He also served on the provincial board of education from 1872 to 1885. In 1885, on his retirement, Jack was granted a pension and appointed to the University Senate. See his own writings and the entry by J.E. Kennedy in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. XI.
