Sir Thomas Muir, educationist, mathematician and superintendent-general of education in the Cape Colony, is born in Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Muir was the son of George Muir from Stonebyres, near Lanark, in Scotland. George was a shoemaker in Biggar and it was in that town that Thomas was brought up.
He attended an independent school in Wishaw, about halfway between Biggar and Glasgow, where his favourite subject was Greek.
He will be remembered as one of the greatest organisers and reformers in the history of Cape education.
Muir found relief from his arduous administrative duties by his investigations into the field of mathematics, and, in particular, algebra.
Most of his more than 320 papers were on determinants and allied subjects.
He came to South Africa in 1892 where he was appointed as the Superintendent General of Education, and remained in that post until 1915. He also worked at the University of the Cape. There was a secondary reason why accepting a post in South Africa was attractive to Muir – his wife had poor health and had been advised to live in a warmer climate.
He and his wife arrived in South Africa on 20 May, 1892. He subsequently introduced many educational reforms in the Cape.
One of the oldest schools in the country, Muir College Boys’ School in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape is named after this educationist. The school is now 197 years old.
Sir Thomas Muir died on 21 March, 1934 in Rondebosch, South Africa.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
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