Alexander William Roberts

Alexander William Roberts (1857–1938) was a Scottish-born teacher and amateur astronomer known for his expertise in mapping southern hemisphere stars. Born in Farr, Sutherland, Scotland, he trained as a teacher at Moray House and the Free Church College in Edinburgh, working as an assistant teacher before emigrating to South Africa in 1883. There, he taught at the Lovedale Missionary Institution and later became its acting principal. Roberts developed a passion for astronomy early on but was discouraged from pursuing it as a career. However, his interest was reignited in South Africa, where he focused on studying variable stars, particularly binary systems. He made over 250,000 observations of 98 variable stars between 1891 and 1920 and published numerous works. Recognized for his contributions, he became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1894 and the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1898. He also received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Cape Town in 1899. In addition to his scientific work, Roberts held significant political roles in South Africa. Appointed as a senator by Prime Minister Jan Smuts in 1920, he chaired several commissions on race relations and Native affairs. He also served as president of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science (SAAAS) and the Astronomical Society of South Africa (ASSA). After Edward C. Pickering’s death in 1919, Roberts shifted focus to politics and race relations, teaching at the South African Native College at Fort Hare until his death on January 21, 1938. Roberts’ contributions ...