Alexander Chalmers

For a mayor, see Alexander Chalmers (mayor).

Alexander Chalmers
Born	29 March 1759 Aberdeen, Scotland
Died	29 December 1834 (1834-12-30) (aged 75) London, England
Nationality	Scottish
Occupation	Writer
Known for	Biography

Alexander Chalmers (29 March 1759 – 29 December 1834) was a Scottish writer.

He was born in Aberdeen. Trained as a doctor, he gave up medicine for journalism, and was for some time editor of the Morning Herald. Besides editions of the works of William Shakespeare, James Beattie, Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson, Joseph Warton, Alexander Pope, Edward Gibbon, and Henry St John, Viscount Bolingbroke, he published A General Biographical Dictionary in 32 volumes (1812–1817); a Glossary to Shakspeare (1807); an edition of George Steevens's Shakespeare (1809); and the British Essayists, beginning with the Tatler and ending with the Observer, with biographical and historical prefaces and a general index.

A quotation is often attributed to him: "The three grand essentials of happiness are: Something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for." His papers are held at the National Library of Scotland.

Sources

• Cooper, Thompson (1887). "Chalmers, Alexander" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 9. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chalmers, Alexander". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.