Ronald Buchanan McCallum (28 August 1898 in

Paisley, Renfrewshire Paisley ( ; sco, Paisley, gd, Pàislig ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Wate ...

– 18 May 1973 in Letcombe Regis, Berkshire) was a British historian. He was a fellow (and later Master) of Pembroke College, Oxford, where he taught

modern history The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...

and politics and was a member of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''

Inklings The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who pra ...

''. McCallum helped popularize the term '' psephology'' (statistical analysis of elections).

Early life and education

The fourth and youngest son of Andrew Fisher McCallum, a master dyer, and his wife, Catherine Buchanan Gibson, he was educated at Paisley Grammar School and Trinity College, Glenalmond. During the First World War, he served for two years between 1917 and 1919 as a member of the Labour Corps of the British Expeditionary Force in France. Returning to Britain, he obtained a place at

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 ...

, where he read history and took his degree with first class honours in 1922.

Academic career

After spending a year at Princeton University in 1922 and 1923, he became lecturer in history at Glasgow University. In 1925,

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located at Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale, and was named after ...

, elected him a fellow and tutor in history and was a member of the Senior Common Room with

R.G. Collingwood Robin George Collingwood (; 22 February 1889 – 9 January 1943) was an English philosopher, historian and archaeologist. He is best known for his philosophical works, including ''The Principles of Art'' (1938) and the posthumously published ...

and

J.R.R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

. He was a tutor for several generations of undergraduates in British history and political institutions, including an influential seminar on British parliamentary procedure. One of his most famous pupils was the

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

and future American Senator J. William Fulbright. Elected to several college offices over the next thirty years, he became Master of Pembroke College in 1955. He was the first non-clerical head of the College since 1714. In addition, he held university offices, including serving as Senior

Proctor Proctor (a variant of ''procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: * In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawye ...

in 1942 and 1943 and Pro-Vice Chancellor in 1961 as well as the university member of the Oxford City Council, 1958-1967. McCallum served as editor of '' The Oxford Magazine'' for three terms, 1933, 1967, and 1972. His 1944 work, ''Public Opinion and the Last Peace'', is an analysis of the relationship between public opinion and policy in regards to the making of the Treaty of Versailles and its revision during the

Interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...

years.Max Beloff, 'Reviewed Work: Public Opinion and the Last Peace by R. B. McCallum', ''International Affairs'', Vol. 21, No. 2 (Apr., 1945), pp. 259-260. McCallum defended David Lloyd George against those who had attacked him for his conduct during the 1918 election and for his policies at the

Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...

. He also defended the Versailles Treaty against the criticism of John Maynard Keynes in ''

The Economic Consequences of the Peace ''The Economic Consequences of the Peace'' (1919) is a book written and published by the British economist John Maynard Keynes. After the First World War, Keynes attended the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 as a delegate of the British Treas ...

''. Max Beloff called ''Public Opinion and the Last Peace'' "scholarly and penetrating", adding that it was "one of the most important, as it is certainly one of the most brilliant and courageous, contributions to the literature of the subject". As Master of Pembroke, he oversaw a transformation of the college that reflected the changes established by the Butler Education Act of 1944. In his tenure, the number of fellows increased and began to include natural scientists. He created the college's north quadrangle in 1962 by converting a row of historic houses between Pembroke Street and

Beef Lane Pembroke Square is a square in central Oxford, England, located to the west of St Aldate's and directly adjoining it. The square is named for Pembroke College, which has its main entrance at the south-west corner of the square, and houses S ...

. In 1967, he resigned the mastership of Pembroke to become principal of what, the following year, was named the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Foundation of St Catharines housed at

Cumberland Lodge Cumberland Lodge is a 17th-century Grade II listed country house in Windsor Great Park 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. Since 1947 it has been occupied by the charitable foundation known as Cumberland Lodge, which holds residential conferences ...

, Windsor Great Park. He retained the post until 1971. He was on the governing body of

Abingdon School Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...

from 1950-1973. While in Oxford, McCallum was an irregular attender of the

, an informal

literary Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

discussion group associated with the University of Oxford and attended by

C.S. Lewis CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public se ...

and

, which met for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. Kilby & Mead 1982, p. 230. McCallum is widely remembered for his work as a historian and analyst of British public opinion. The professor coined the word ''psephology'' to describe the academic study of elections, but in this retained his focus as a historian and did not venture into sociological approaches.

Books

*''Asquith'' (biography, 1936). Great Lives Series. *''England and France, 1939-1943'' (1944)
online
*''Public Opinion and the Last Peace'' (1944). *''The British General Election of 1945'' (1947). With Alison Readman. *''The Liberal Party from Earl Grey to Asquith'' (1963). ''Men and Ideas'' Series.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCallum, R. B. 1898 births 1973 deaths People educated at Paisley Grammar School People educated at Glenalmond College Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Inklings Masters of Pembroke College, Oxford Academics of the University of Oxford 20th-century British historians Governors of Abingdon School People from Paisley, Renfrewshire Military personnel from Renfrewshire British Army personnel of World War I British Army soldiers