William Ritchie (moderator)
Very Rev Prof William Ritchie FRSE DD was a Scottish minister who rose to be Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1801.Life
He studied divinity at the University of Glasgow and was ordained by the Church of Scotland. He was minister of St Andrew%27s in the Square.
In 1798 the University of Glasgow awarded him an honorary doctorate. In the early 1800s he lived on Miller Street in Glasgow. In 1801 he succeeded Very Rev George Husband Baird as moderator.
In 1809 he moved from Glasgow to Edinburgh to become professor of divinity at the University of Edinburgh. He lived nearby at 5 Argyll Square. He also preached at St Giles Cathedral.
In 1810 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Alexander Christison, Rev Andrew Brown, and Archibald Alison.
He retired in 1828 and died on 29 January 1830.Artistic recognition
His portrait of 1827 by John Sheriff is held by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
