CUMMING, John Professor of Divinity, University of Edinburgh ^{1 2}

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  General Notes:

"The eldest son of the latter (John Cumming, Minister of Auldearn), also named John Cumming, a doctor of divinity, was in 1695 appointed regius professor of divinity and ecclesiastical history in the university of Edinburgh. His appointment created considerable excitement at the time, as it was the first regius professorship that had been founded in any of the Scottish universities, and no professor had ever been admitted a member of the senatus academicus of Edinburgh college, without being nominated by the town council, the patrons of the university. On this occasion, however, the chair of ecclesiastical history had been instituted by the government without consulting the council as to the propriety or expediency of the measure, and they naturally felt that their rights had been encroached upon in the matter. The other professors recognised at once the validity of his appointment; but the town council was not so easily satisfied."

from Electric Scotland ²