Sir Thomas Gregory Foster (10 June 1866 – 24 September 1931) was the Provost of
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
from 1904 to 1929,
[Elizabeth J. Morse, 'Foster, Sir (Thomas) Gregory, first baronet (1866–1931)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 200]
retrieved 22 Dec 2010
/ref> and Vice-Chancellor of the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
from 1928 to 1930.[Sir Gregory Foster, Bt : Abstract : Nature]
/ref>
Early life
He was born in London and attended University College School
("Slowly but surely")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent day school
, religion =
, president =
, head_label = Headmaster
, head = Mark Beard
, r_head_label =
, r_hea ...
[AIM25 collection description]
/ref> and graduated from University College London (UCL) in 1888 with a degree in English. He obtained a PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
from Strasbourg University
The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers.
The French university traces its history to the ea ...
in 1892 with his dissertation on the Anglo-Saxon poem '' Judith'' (''Judith: studies in metre, language and style, with a view to determining the date of the Oldenglish fragment and the home of its author'').
Career
He first taught at UCL became a professor of English language and literature at Bedford College, London
file:Bedford College in York place - photographer is unknown but guess 1908.png, Bedford College was in York Place after 1874
Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for education of women, women in th ...
before returning to UCL where he spent 25 years in administration as secretary, principal and later provost. As Vice-Chancellor of the University of London he was instrumental in having the new university building established in central London at Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions.
Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...
rather than Holland Park
Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road ...
in west London.
Personal life
He was knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
in 1917 and created a baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
in 1930. In 1894 he married Fanny Maude (d.1928) and they had two sons and two daughters. He died in Hove
Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th cen ...
, Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
in 1931 and his second wife later the same year.[
]
See also
* List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
*List of British university chancellors and vice-chancellors
This following is a current list of the chancellors, vice-chancellors and visitors of universities in the United Kingdom. In most cases, the chancellor is a ceremonial head, while the vice-chancellor is chief academic officer and chief executi ...
References
Alumni of University College London
1931 deaths
1866 births
Academics of University College London
People educated at University College School
Academics of Bedford College, London
Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
University of Strasbourg alumni
Provosts of University College London
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Knights Bachelor
{{UK-baronet-stub