Adam Smith was born in Kirkcaldy in 1723 and attended the town’s Burgh School. In 1843 the School relocated to where Adam Smith College’s St Brycedale Campus stands today.
A philosopher and educationalist, Adam Smith is recognised world-wide as one of the foremost thinkers in the Scottish Enlightenment. He lectured in ethics, rhetoric, jurisprudence and political economy – always emphasising the unified ethical conduct that holds society together. While he is regarded as conservative today, his teaching was at times viewed as radical.
This contrast is also apparent in the fact that in addition to working as a tutor of the well-to-do, he used his salary to support a local school. Smith's best-known work, The Wealth of Nations, established him firmly as ‘the father of modern economics’.
Adam Smith was a great Scot with an international reputation, living in challenging times, leading learning, supporting learning, focused on enterprise …we are proud to take his name.