Todd, James Eadie (1885–1949), professor of history at QUB, was born on 2 September 1885 in Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland, son of the Rev. James Todd and Isabella Todd. He was educated at George Watson's College, Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh (MA 1907), and Balliol College, Oxford. Todd held a number of academic posts before he came to QUB: he was a lecturer in economic history at the University of Edinburgh (1910–12), lecturer in history at McGill University, Montreal (1912–13), and professor of history and economics at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia (1913–16). From 1916 to 1919 Todd was a second lieutenant (lieutenant from July 1918) in the 3rd Scottish Rifles, attached to the 1st Royal Sussex Regiment and 8th Cheshire Regiment, serving in the Middle East and India.
When Todd was appointed professor of modern history at QUB in 1919 he was the only lecturer in modern history in the entire university, and until 1922 he was solely responsible for teaching the BA pass and honours modern history courses. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to note that Todd enjoyed a reputation as a teacher rather than a writer. Indeed, Todd's only published work was a piece on the impact of manorial institutions on Welsh tribal society (‘Agriculture’ in Sir Paul Vinogradoff and F. Morgan (ed.), Survey of the honour of Denbigh 1334 (British Academy Records of the Social and Economic History of England and Wales, i (1914), pp vi, xlv–liii).
Todd was a gifted lecturer: ‘every lecture of his was a work of art, the product of a superb historical interpreter who was also a master-craftsman in the English language, an orator of exceptional dignity and power, and above all else a fine historian’ (Cronne, Moody, & Quinn, p. xi). His fine work was recognised by his appointment as an FRHS in 1933.
Todd was instrumental in building up a department of modern history at QUB. His self-sacrifice is shown by the fact that in 1934, when the recently created lectureship in medieval history fell vacant, he resumed the task of teaching this subject, so that a lectureship in Irish history could be established. The first person to be appointed to this new post was T. W. Moody (qv), and he was to be succeeded by D. B. Quinn (qv) and J. C. Beckett (qv). From 1927 Todd accepted postgraduate students into the department to complete Ph.D. theses under his supervision. He made a significant contribution to the study of history in the new Northern Ireland state, both by educating generations of history teachers and by becoming the chief examiner of history in Northern Ireland schools from 1921.
Todd retired from QUB in 1945, by which stage he ‘had, almost single-handed, built up a flourishing school, which owed its very existence to his enthusiasm, energy, and power of inspiring others' (Moody & Beckett, p. 511).
Todd married (1914) Margaret Maybin; they had two sons and one daughter. He died in Edinburgh on 21 October 1949.