Eric Anderson

Who is Eric Anderson?

Sir William "Eric" Kinloch Anderson, KT, FRSE, was Provost of Eton College from September 2000 – 30 January 2009.

Anderson was educated at George Watson's College, Edinburgh and gained a MA degree 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. He was awarded an Honorary DLitt in 1981 from St. Andrews.

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, then Shrewsbury School. More recently he was Head Master of Eton College and Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford.

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.