He was born in New York, New York, the son of Sir Robert Innes Grant, 9th Baronet of Dalvey, and his wife, Judith Towers Battelle. His early education took place in America and the family then returned to Britain. He was educated at Harrow School from 1839 to 1845 then went to Balliol College, Oxford graduating BA in 1848 and MA in 1852. He made a special study of the Aristotelian philosophy, and in 1857 published an edition of The Ethics of Aristotle: Illustrated with Essays and Notes which became a standard text-book at Oxford. In 1855 he was one of the examiners for the Indian Civil Service, and in 1856 a public examiner in classics at Oxford. His father became 9th Baronet of Dalvey in 1854 on the death of his brother, Sir Alexander Grant, 8th Baronet. When his father died in 1856 Alexander became the 10th baronet.
India
In 1859 he went to Madras with Sir Charles Trevelyan, and was appointed inspector of schools; the next year he moved to Bombay, to fill the post of Professor of History and Political Economy in the Elphinstone College. Of this he became Principal in 1862; and, a year later, vice-chancellor of Bombay University, a post he held from 1863 to 1865 and again from 1865 to 1868. In 1865 he was appointed Director of Public Instruction for Bombay. In 1866 he served as Vice Chancellor of Bombay University. In 1868 he was appointed a Member of the Bombay Legislative Council.
In 1868, upon the death of Sir David Brewster, he was appointed Principal of Edinburgh University. From that time till his death, much of his energies were devoted to the well-being of the University. The institution of the new medical school in the University was almost solely due to his initiative; and the Tercentenary Festival, celebrated in 1884, was the result of his enthusiasm. In that year he published The Story of the University of Edinburgh during its First Three Hundred Years. In 1869 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer being Sir Robert Christison. He twice served as Vice President of the Society: 1870 to 1874 and 1876 to 1881. From 1872 he was a Member of the Board of Education, overseeing a huge programme of school construction across Scotland. He sat on the board until 1878, by which time the construction period was drawing to an end. He died at his Edinburgh address of 21 Lansdowne Crescent in the west end of the city. He is buried in Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh.
A keen golfer, Grant was a regular at the Elie Golf Club and was caddied by a young Archie Simpson for many years, his favourite.
Recognition
Grant is remembered at the University of Edinburgh to this day with two buildings named after him: Grant House in Pollock Halls of Residence, and the Grant Institute.
