Alexander Cowan

Biography

Alexander Cowan built a thriving business through untiring industry and an attention to craftsmanship, helping to grow the papermaking trade that supported Edinburgh’s literary and public life. He championed civic improvement, investing not only in industry but in the welfare of the city’s residents through education and charitable works.

Laid to rest at Grange Cemetery, he is remembered as a visionary entrepreneur whose innovations gave substance to the printed word and whose generosity enhanced the community around him.