Background
Born in Paisley on 29 October 1882, he was the son of a schoolmaster. He married Amy Macloy, daughter of another minister, in 1912, who would in time bear him a son and daughter.
Born in Paisley on 29 October 1882, he was the son of a schoolmaster. He married Amy Macloy, daughter of another minister, in 1912, who would in time bear him a son and daughter.
After receiving his school education in Paisley, he studied at the University of Glasgow, graduating in Arts and Divinity.
Church career
In 1908 he was ordained in Mearns parish. In 1914 he was translated to Battlefield parish, Glasgow. During World War I he was a British army chaplain, serving in France, Egypt and East Africa.
After the war, he returned to Scotland, where on 8 May 1918, he became minister at Dunblane Cathedral.
When he died in 1973, he was Senior Extra-Chaplain to the Queen. Academic life
From 1931 until 1934 Cockburn was a Lecturer on Pastoral Theology at Street Mary"s College, Street Andrews.
He was the William Belden Noble Lecturer at Harvard University in 1942, and served as Warrack Lecturer on Preaching in Edinburgh, 1944-1945. In 1951 he was Otts Lecturer at Davidson College, North Carolina.
He created a museum for the church in the Dean"s House, and used his connections to acquire material to fill lieutenant
Cockburn contributed many articles for this journal. Cockburn also published several books on religious history:
Religious Freedom in Eastern Europe, Richmond, Virginia: John Knox Press, 1953
By his death on 20 June 1973, Cockburn had received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Glasgow, University of Prague, Yale University, Occidental College, Los Angeles, and Wooster College, Ohio.
From 1952 until 1954 he was a member of the Royal Commission on Scottish Affairs.