Eric Anderson (teacher)

Sir William Eric Kinloch Anderson, KT, FRSE (born 27 May 1936), was Provost of Eton College from September 2000 to 30 January 2009.

Anderson was educated at George Watson's College, Edinburgh and gained a MA degree (First-Class Honours) in English at the University of St Andrews. He obtained subsequently a MLitt degree at Balliol College, Oxford, where his thesis was on the novels of Sir Walter Scott.

In his early career, Anderson taught at Fettes College, Edinburgh, and at Gordonstoun, where he taught Prince Charles. He moved to be headmaster at Abingdon School (1970–75), then Shrewsbury School (1975–80). More recently he was Head Master of Eton College (1980–94) and Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford (1994–2000).

At Fettes, he was Prime Minister Tony Blair's housemaster. Blair subsequently named Anderson in a 1997 advertising campaign run by the Teacher Training Agency entitled 'No one forgets a good teacher'. Because Anderson was Head Master of Eton while David Cameron was there, he was for a time in the position of having been involved in the education of the heir to the British throne and the leaders of the two biggest British political parties.

Between 1998 and 2001 he was Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund. He is an authority and published author on the life and works of Sir Walter Scott and recently served on the advisory board for the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley novels and was a trustee of Saint Andrews. His edition of The Journal of Sir Walter Scott was published in 1972. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1985 and in November 2002 he was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Thistle. He is currently the only member of the order who does not rank higher as a peer or member of the royal family.

He retired as Provost of Eton at the end of January 2009, and was succeeded by William Waldegrave. He has since been appointed as an Honorary Fellow.

His other positions include. Visitor at Harris Manchester College, Oxford; He has been a Member of the Visiting Committee of Harvard University Memorial Church; trustee of the Royal Collection Trust and Fellow of The Wordsworth Trust and of the Abbotsford Trust. He has honorary degrees from St Andrews, Hull, Siena, Birmingham and the University of Aberdeen.

He is married to Poppy Anderson (née Mason). Their son is David Anderson Q.C. and their daughter Kate is married to Will Gompertz.