Alexander MacFarlane (astronomer)
Alexander MacFarlane FRS (c. 1702 – 23 August 1755) was a Scottish polymath who was active as an astronomer, merchant, mathematician, judge, politician and planter. Born in Scotland, MacFarlane graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1728 and immigrated to the British colony of Jamaica, where he settled down to a career as a merchant and acquired several sugar plantations operated with slave labour.
Alexander MacFarlane | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1702 |
| Died | 23 August 1755 (aged 52–53) |
| Occupation(s) | Astronomer, mathematician, merchant, judge, politician, planter |
| Parent(s) | John MacFarlane and Lady Helen Arbuthnot |
In addition to working as a judge and politician, MacFarlane also pursued an amateur career in astronomy in Port Royal and Kingston, using equipment purchased from fellow astronomer Colin Campbell. After his death in 1755, MacFarlane bequeathed his plantations to his brothers and his astronomical equipment to the University of Glasgow, which used it to establish an observatory, naming it Macfarlane Observatory in his honour.