Scottish Church College - The Founder and Institutional Origins

The Founder and Institutional Origins

Principals of General Assembly's Institution (1830–1908)
  • Alexander Duff 1830-34
  • W. S. Mackay & D. Ewart 1834-39
  • Alexander Duff 1840-43
  • James Ogilvie, 1845–71
  • William Hastie, 1878–84
  • W. Smith, 1884–89
  • John Morrison 1889-1904
  • A. B. Wann, 1904–1908
Principal of Free Church Institution (1843–63)
  • Alexander Duff 1843-63
Principals of Duff College (1863–1908)
  • W. C. Fyffe, 1863–80
  • James Robertson, 1881–83
  • John Hector, 1883–1902
Principals of Scottish Churches College (1908–1929)
  • A.B. Wann, 1908–09
  • John Lamb, 1909–11
  • Alexander Tomory, 1910–1911
  • James Watt, 1911–1928
Principals of Scottish Church College (1929–present)
  • W. S. Urquhart, 1928–37
  • Allen Cameron, 1937–44
  • John Kellas, 1944–54
  • H. J. Taylor, 1954–60
  • N. K. Mundle, 1960–70
  • Jyotsna Pyne, 1970
  • B. Das, 1970–1971
  • S. K. Mitra, 1971–75
  • K. D. Bhatt, 1973–75
  • S. K. Mukherjee, 1975–76
  • A. K. Sen, 1976–78
  • A. K. Kisku, 1978–81
  • Aparesh Bhattacharyya, 1981–1983
  • Kalyan Chandra Dutt, 1983–1995
  • Kalyan Kumar Mandi, 1996–2002
  • John Abraham, 2002–present

The institutional origins are traceable to the life of Alexander Duff (1806–1878), the first overseas missionary of the Church of Scotland, to India. Initially known as the General Assembly's Institution, it was founded on 13 July 1830.

Alexander Duff was born on 25 April 1806, in Moulin, Perthshire, located in the inner Scottish countryside. He attended the University of St Andrews where after graduation, he decided to opt for a missionary life. Subsequently, he undertook his evangelical mission to India. In a voyage that involved two shipwrecks (first on the ship Lady Holland off Dassen Island, near Cape Town, and later on the ship Moira, near the Ganges delta) and the loss of his personal library consisting of 800 volumes (of which 40 survived), and college prizes, he arrived in Calcutta on 27 May 1830.

With initial support from the Governor-General of India Lord William Bentinck, Rev. Alexander Duff opened his institution in Feringhi Kamal Bose's house, located in upper Chitpore Road, near Jorasanko. In 1836 the institution was moved to Gorachand Bysack's house at Garanhatta. Mr. MacFarlon, the Chief-Magistrate of Calcutta, laid the foundation stone on 23 February 1837. Mr. John Gray, elected by Messrs. Burn & Co. and superintended by Captain John Thomson of the East India Company designed the building. The construction of the building was completed in 1839.

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