John Ernest Vaizey, Baron Vaizey (1 October 1929 – 19 July 1984) was a British author and economist, who specialised in education.

Background and education

Vaizey was the son of Ernest Vernon Vaizey and his wife Lucy Butler Hart. He was educated at the school of Queen Mary's Hospital and went then to

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

.Dod (1984), p. 284

Career

In 1952, he joined the United Nations Office at Geneva and after a year was elected a fellow at

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

. Three years later in 1956 Vaizey became a lecturer at the University of Oxford. He moved to the University of London in 1960, where he oversaw a research unit as its director for the next two years. Subsequently, Vaizey went to

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...

, having been appointed to its fellowship. While at Worcester College, Vaizey set up a committee to aid people arrested in Oxford for importuning, having accused the police of using agents provocateurs in policing public spaces. In 1966, he obtained the newly created professorship at the Brunel University, heading its school of social sciences from 1973. He served as an early Chief Examiner for the subject of economics for the International Baccalaureate. Vaizey was offered the post of the vice-chancellor of the Monash University, based in Melbourne in 1975; however, after attacks by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n artists against his close friend Bryan Robertson, who should have taken over the directorship of the National Gallery of Victoria, he declined the offer. In the

1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours The 1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours were announced on 27 May 1976 to mark the resignation of the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. The list of resignation honours became known satirically as the "Lavender List". Controversy The list cau ...

he was designated for a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

age and on 23 June, he was created Baron Vaizey, of Greenwich, in

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

. In his last years Vaizey served as principal of the St Catherine's Foundation at Cumberland Lodge.Turner (1985), p. 410

Family

In 1961, he married the author Marina Stansky, daughter of the lawyer Lyman Stansky from New York City. One of their children is the Conservative Party politician Edward Vaizey. Lord Vaizey died on 19 July 1984 in

St Thomas' Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. It is one of the institutions that compose the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foun ...

, London, following heart surgery.Cleveland (1985), p. 147

Works

Arms

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaizey, John 1929 births 1984 deaths Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Fellows of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Fellows of Worcester College, Oxford Life peers Members of the Fabian Society 20th-century British economists Academics of Brunel University London Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peers created by Elizabeth II