William Still Littlejohn

William Still Littlejohn (19 September 1859 – 7 October 1933) was a Scottish-born schoolteacher who spent most of his working life in New Zealand and Australia. He was headmaster of Nelson College from 1899 to 1903, and of Scotch College, Melbourne from 1904 to 1933. As a cricketer, he played two-first class games for Nelson in 1886.

William Littlejohn
10th Headmaster of Nelson College
In office 1899–1903
Preceded by	John William Joynt
Succeeded by	Harry Lewis Fowler
3rd Headmaster of Scotch College, Melbourne
In office 1904–1933
Preceded by	Alexander Morrison
Succeeded by	Colin Macdonald Gilray
Personal details
Born	William Still Littlejohn 19 September 1859 Turriff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Died	7 October 1933 (aged 74) Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Spouse(s)	Jeannie Berry ​ (m. 1885)​
Relations	Charles Littlejohn (son)
Cricket information
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1885/86–1886/87	Nelson
First-class debut	19 March 1886 Nelson v Wellington
Last First-class	29 December 1886 Nelson v Wellington
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 2 Runs scored 8 Batting average 2.66 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 8 Catches/stumpings 0/0
Source: CricketArchive, 4 February 2016

Biography

Littlejohn was born in Turriff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of Wilson Littlejohn, a watchmaker and jeweller, and his wife Margaret, née Gordon.[1] Educated at the board schools at Alford and Peterhead,[2] and Aberdeen Grammar School, Littlejohn then entered the University of Aberdeen, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in 1879.[1] He was registered as a teacher in 1879 and taught at Clydesdale College, Hamilton, then tutored privately.[1]

Littlejohn's father and brother had emigrated to New Zealand, and in 1881 they obtained nominated passages for the rest of the family.[2] William Littlejohn was mathematics and science master at Nelson College from 1882 to 1898, and headmaster for five years from 1899 to 1903.[3] He married Jeannie Berry in Wellington on 25 December 1885.[4] The couple had five children,[5] including Charles Littlejohn.[6]

During his time in Nelson, Littlejohn played two first-class matches as a batsman for the Nelson cricket team in 1886. In his three innings he scored only eight runs, including two ducks.[7] He also served as president of the Nelson Rugby Union.[8]

Littlejohn successfully applied for the position of headmaster at Scotch College, Melbourne, a position he held until his death at the school on 7 October 1933.[1] Littlejohn insisted upon improvements at the school before commencing and continued building the school. In 1914 the school moved from East Melbourne to Hawthorn, and by 1923 there were 1200 students.

References

1. Weston Bate, 'Littlejohn, William Still (1859–1933)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 10, MUP, 1986, pp 122–123.
2. Serle, Percival (1949). "Littlejohn, William Still". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
3. Palmer, L.R. (1981). "A short history of Nelson College". Nelson College Old Boys' Register 1856–1981 (5th ed.).
4. "Marriages". The Colonist. 2 January 1886. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
5. "Obituary". Evening Post. 9 October 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
6. "A smart New Zealander". West Coast Times. 7 July 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
7. William Littlejohn at CricketArchive (subscription required)
8. Scholefield, G.H., ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (PDF). 1. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. p. 500. Retrieved 5 February 2015.