Alexander MacFarlane
Who was Alexander MacFarlane?
Mathematician, astronomer, merchant and slave-owner in Kingston, Jamaica (c.1702–1755)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Alexander MacFarlane (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Alexander MacFarlane (c. 1702 – 23 August 1755) was a Scottish merchant, planter, and astronomer who spent much of his adult life in the British colony of Jamaica. Born into an aristocratic family in Scotland, he received a formal university education and later turned his scientific curiosity to the skies above the Caribbean. He is remembered for his contributions to early British colonial astronomy and for the wealth he gained through owning enslaved people and sugar plantations.
MacFarlane graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1728 and then moved to Jamaica, where he started his career as a businessman. His success in commerce allowed him to acquire substantial land across the island, eventually becoming one of Jamaica's prominent planters. In 1735, he became Jamaica's first Postmaster General, showing his influence within the colonial leadership. He later served in the colony's House of Assembly as a representative for Saint Elizabeth Parish in 1754, which further strengthened his political power. By the time he died, he owned six sugar plantations and 761 enslaved people, making him one of the largest slaveholders in the colony.
Along with his business and political work, MacFarlane was a dedicated amateur astronomer. He built observatories in Port Royal and Kingston, equipping them with instruments purchased from fellow astronomer Colin Campbell. While his astronomical observations were limited in scope, they were significant enough to earn him a place as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1746. This recognition placed him among the top scientific minds of his time and provided his work with a level of institutional acknowledgment that few colonial observers received.
When he died on 23 August 1755, MacFarlane left his collection of scientific instruments to the University of Glasgow. The university used this donation to create the Macfarlane Observatory, which became the first purpose-built astronomical observatory in Great Britain. This donation ensured his scientific legacy lived on, even as his role as a slaveholder remains a highly troubling aspect of his life. In the 21st century, historians and institutions have paid closer attention to MacFarlane's involvement in Jamaica's plantation economy and the human cost of the wealth that funded his scientific endeavors.
Before Fame
Alexander MacFarlane, born around 1702 into an aristocratic Scottish family, had the advantage of getting a formal education when university attendance was mostly for the privileged. He attended the University of Glasgow, one of Scotland's oldest and most respected institutions, and graduated in 1728. His education likely covered the natural philosophy and mathematical sciences that were thriving in early eighteenth-century Britain, setting the stage for his later work in astronomy.
After graduating, like many educated Scots of his time, MacFarlane sought economic opportunities in the British colonies. Jamaica, known for its sugar production and Atlantic trade, provided men of his class the chance to make significant fortunes. When he arrived in the colony, MacFarlane started as a merchant and later moved into large-scale plantation ownership. His quick rise within Jamaica’s colonial society led to his appointment as the island’s first Postmaster General in 1735, establishing him as an important figure in the colony.
Key Achievements
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1746 for astronomical observations conducted in Jamaica
- Appointed as Jamaica's first Postmaster General in 1735
- Constructed two private astronomical observatories in Port Royal and Kingston
- Bequeathed scientific instruments to the University of Glasgow, enabling the founding of the Macfarlane Observatory, the first of its kind in Great Britain
- Elected to Jamaica's House of Assembly as representative for Saint Elizabeth Parish in 1754
Did You Know?
- 01.At the time of his death in 1755, MacFarlane owned 761 enslaved people across six sugar plantations in Jamaica.
- 02.He purchased his astronomical instruments from fellow astronomer Colin Campbell, using them to equip two separate observatories he built in Port Royal and Kingston.
- 03.MacFarlane was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1746, a distinction he earned through astronomical observations conducted from his privately funded colonial observatories.
- 04.His bequest of scientific instruments to the University of Glasgow led to the creation of the Macfarlane Observatory, the first such institution of its kind in Great Britain.
- 05.MacFarlane held the distinction of being Jamaica's inaugural Postmaster General, appointed to the role in 1735.