Colin Maclaurin, the celebrated mathematician, was born in 1698 at Kilmodan in Argyllshire, where his father was minister of the parish. In 1709 he entered Glasgow University, where his mathematical talent rapidly developed under the fostering care of Professor Robert Simson. In 1717 he successfully competed for the Chair of Mathematics in the Marischal College of Aberdeen University. In 1719 he came directly under the personal influence of Newton, when on a visit to London, bearing with him the manuscript of the Geometria Organica, published in quarto in 1720. The publication of this work immediately brought him into prominence in the scientific world. In 1725 he was, on the recommendation of Newton, elected to the Chair of Mathematics in Edinburgh University, which he occupied until his death in 1746.