Stuart Ryan Ball,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

FRHistS The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

, is a political historian who retired in 2016 as professor of Modern British History at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

, having taught there for 37 years; he is now emeritus professor of Modern History there. He specialises in the history of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

Career

Stuart Ryan Ball left

Eltham College Eltham College is an independent day school situated in Mottingham, southeast London. Eltham and Mottingham once formed part of the same parish, hence its name. It is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). Early hi ...

in 1974 to study history at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. In 1979, he was appointed to a lectureship at the

, and taught there until his retirement in 2016, by which time he was professor of Modern British History. In 1990, he was elected Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

. As of 2017, he is Historical Consultant to the

Conservative Party Archive The Conservative Party Archive (CPA) is the official place of deposit for the historic records of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom. Based at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England, it was established as a centre for people. Overv ...

at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

, sits on the editorial committee of the journal ''

Parliamentary History ''Parliamentary History'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as pe ...

'', and is treasurer of the Parliamentary History Trust."Professor Stuart Ball"
''University of Leicester''. Retrieved 14 August 2017.Helen Wilson
"Professor Stuart Ball addresses the history society"
''Elthamians'', 3 February 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2017.

Awards and honours

In the

2018 New Year Honours The 2018 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

, Ball was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) for service to political history. He has been a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FRHistS) since 1990.

Research

Ball's research has focused on British politics between the two world wars, with special focus on the Conservative Party. He has also studied the history of parliament in modern Britain. His books include: * (editor) ''Conservative Politics in National and Imperial Crisis: Letters from Britain to the Viceroy of India 1926–1931'' (Ashgate, 2014) * ''Portrait of a Party: The Conservative Party in Britain 1918–1945'' (Oxford University Press, 2013) * ''Dole Queues and Demons: British Election Posters from the Conservative Party Archive'' (Bodleian Library Press, 2011) * (edited with

Anthony Seldon Sir Anthony Francis Seldon (born 2 August 1953) is a British educator and contemporary historian. As an author, he is known in part for his political biographies of Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Ther ...

) ''Recovering Power: The Conservatives in Opposition since 1867'' (Palgrave, 2005) * ''Winston Churchill'' (British Library & New York University Press, 2003) * (editor, with

Ian Holliday Ian Holliday (; born 1960) is a scholar with expertise in British and Asian Government, particularly Myanmar. He is currently the vice-president of The University of Hong Kong (HKU). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) in social and p ...

) ''Mass Conservatism: The Conservatives and the Public since the 1880s'' (Frank Cass, 2002) * (editor) ''Parliament and Politics in the Age of Churchill and Attlee: the Headlam Diaries 1935–1951'', Royal Historical Society, Camden 5th series, vol. 14 (Cambridge University Press, 1999) * (editor) ''The Conservative Party since 1945'' (Manchester University Press, 1998) * (editor with

) ''The Heath Government 1970–1974: A Reappraisal'' (Longman, 1996) * ''The Conservative Party and British Politics 1902–1951'' (Longman, 1995) * (editor with

) ''Conservative Century: the Conservative Party since 1900'' (Oxford University Press, 1994) * (editor) ''Parliament and Politics in the Age of Baldwin and MacDonald: The Headlam Diaries 1923–1935'' (The Historians' Press, 1992) * ''Baldwin and the Conservative Party: The Crisis of 1929–1931'' (Yale University Press, 1988)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Stuart Alumni of the University of St Andrews Academics of the University of Leicester Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Place of birth missing (living people) People educated at Eltham College