Alexander Leeper

Who was Alexander Leeper?

Alexander Leeper, was an Australian educationist.

Alexander Leeper, the son of the Rev. Alexander Leeper, canon of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, was born on 3 June 1848. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated B.A. in 1871 and M.A. in 1875, and St John's College, Oxford where he took a first-class BA in Literae Humaniores in 1874.

Leeper came to Victoria in 1875 as classical master for the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School but in the following year was made principal of Trinity College. The title of his office was afterwards changed to warden. He was not completely successful from the beginning, at one stage there was a revolt which ended in the expulsion of several students, but it became recognized that Leeper was devoted to the college, which he controlled with success for the remainder of his 42 years of office.

Leeper also took an important share in the management of the university as a member of the council from 1880 to 1887 and 1900 to 1923. He resigned his position as warden of Trinity in 1918, but continued to be a prominent figure in Melbourne for many years longer as a member of the council of education, as a lay canon of St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, and as a trustee of the public library, museums and National Gallery of Victoria of which he was president from 1920 to 1928. He was also a leading spirit in the Melbourne Shakespeare Society and the Classical Association. He was a great fighter on the North of Ireland side in all controversies relating to Irish questions. He died at Melbourne on 6 August 1934. An excellent portrait by John Longstaff is in the National Gallery of Victoria at Melbourne.