List of people educated at George Watson's College

Former pupils of George Watson's College in Edinburgh are known as Watsonians, in memory of the school's founder, George Watson. They include the following individuals. See also The Category for Watsonians.

Notable alumni

• The Reverend David Arnott, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2011–201
• Robert Horne, 1st Viscount Horne, Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Paul Nuki Chief Editor at NHS Choices.

Culture

Actors and dramatists

• Jimmy Finlayson, actor
• Peter Baikie, Scottish comedian and composer
• Jack Docherty, Scottish writer, actor, presenter and producer.
• Jamie Drummond, Edinburgh-born Canadian sommelier and amateur dramatist.

James Finlayson (actor) Gordon Kennedy (actor)

Architects

• Basil Spence, architect
• William Kininmonth (architect)
• James Craig (architect)
• Alexander Lorne Campbell

Artists

• Douglas Percy Bliss, painter
• Jo Fraser, Painter
• Henry Raeburn Dobson, painter

Music

• Ian Anderson, musician with Jethro Tull
• Robin Williamson, musician with The Incredible String Band
• Donald Runnicles, conductor
• Malcolm Martineau, pianist and recital accompanist
• Myles MacInnes (known as Mylo), singer-songwriter, music producer, and DJ
• Keith McIvor (known as JD Twitch) music producer, and DJ

Writers – Poets, novelists, dramatists

• David Daiches, Scottish literary historian and literary critic
• Rebecca West, writer and campaigner

Journalists

• Karin Giannone, Journalist and news presenter at BBC News
• Martha Kearney, BBC broadcaster and journalist
• Hugo Rifkind, journalist

Lawyers and Judges

• Robert Brown (Robin) Black, GCMG, Governor of Hong Kong, 1958–64
• Colin Boyd, Baron Boyd of Duncansby, PC, QC, Lord Advocate, life peer in the British House of Lords
• John Corrie, politician, MP, MEP
• David Maxwell Fyfe, Viscount Kilmuir, Barrister, Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor
• Frances Guy Diplomat (British Ambassador to the Yemen and Lebanon)
• Ronald King Murray, Lord Murray, PC, politician and judge, (Labour Party)
• Robert Reed, Lord Reed, Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
• Iain Macphail, Lord Macphail
• Alastair Campbell, Lord Bracadale, QC
• John Ireland Falconer, WS
• Tun Dato' Sir James Beveridge Thomson, KBE, SSM, PMN, PJK, lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia.
• John Charles Fenton, lawyer, Solicitor General for Scotland

Military

• Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb (RAF officer), GCB, KBE, DSO, DFC, AFC
• Rear Admiral George Pirie Thomson, CBE, naval officer and Britain's Chief Press Censor in WWII
• Lieutenant General Sir David Young (British Army officer), KBE, CB, DFC
• Major-General Sir Alexander Biggam, KBE, CB, FRSE, FRCPE, FRCP
• Captain Henry Peel Ritchie, First World War Victoria Cross recipient

Politics

• Malcolm Chisholm
• Ronald King Murray, Lord Murray, PC, politician and judge, (Labour Party)
• Malcolm Rifkind, KCMG, QC, politician (Conservative Party)
• Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury, PC, former British MP and Cabinet minister (Labour Party)
• Elizabeth Smith, MSP
• David Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC, politician (Liberal Democrats), MP, former leader of the Liberal Party
• William Wolfe
• Auckland Geddes, 1st Baron Geddes, GCMG, KCB, PC
• Rebecca West, feminist campaigner

Science and academia

• Sir Eric Anderson, KT, FRSE, provost of Eton College
• Prof William Stuart Mcrae Craig FRSE, medical author
• Norman Davidson (biochemist), CBE
• Sir John Flett (geologist), KBE, FRSE, FRS, FGS
• Keith Moffatt, physicist
• Stan Paterson, glaciologist
• Ian R. Porteous, mathematician
• Gerald Russell, Professor of Psychiatry
• John Steele (oceanographer)
• Joseph Wedderburn, mathematician
• Ian Frazer, Creator of the Human Papilloma virus vaccine and Australian of the Year 2006

Sport

• Martin Bell, skier, and four times participant in the Winter Olympics
• Neil McCallum (cricketer)
• Ian Greig (cricketer)
• Sir Chris Hoy, MBE, Six-time Olympic gold medal winning track cyclist
• Gillian Cooke, athlete and bobsledder
• Robin Smith, mountaineer
• Craig Sutherland, professional footballer
• Keith Fraser, Olympic Athlete 1992

Rugby players

• Gavin Hastings, OBE, rugby player
• Scott Hastings, rugby player
• Jason White, rugby player
• Ian Robertson (rugby player and commentator)
• David Johnston International rugby player and professional footballer (Heart of Midlothian)
• Marcus Di Rollo
• John Howard Wilson, rugby player

References