Walter Garrison Runciman, 3rd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, (10 November 193410 December 2020), usually known informally as Garry Runciman,
[ was a British historical sociologist. A senior research fellow at ]Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
Runciman wrote several publications in his field. He also sat on the Bank of England's Securities and Investment Board and chaired the British Government's Royal Commission on Criminal Justice
The Royal Commission on Criminal Justice, also known as the Runciman Commission, was established in London on 14 March 1991 by the Home Secretary for the purpose of examining the English system of criminal justice and make recommendations as to cha ...
(1991–1993).
Background
Runciman was the son of Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, by his second wife Katherine Schuyler Garrison. British historian Sir Steven Runciman
Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman ( – ), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume ''A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54).
He was a strong admirer of the Byzantine Empire. His history's negative ...
was his uncle. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
, where he was an Oppidan Scholar, and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
.
Runciman inherited the viscountcy on the death of his father in 1989.
Career
Runciman joined the faculty of Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
in the 1950s as a historical sociologist and became a junior research fellow after submitting a thesis entitled ''Plato's Later Epistemology''. In the 1960s he became primarily a sociologist.[ He became a senior research fellow in 1971, researching in the field of comparative and historical sociology.][ Runciman's principal research interest was the application of neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory to cultural and social selection.][Bio at Trinity College website]
trin.cam.ac.uk; Accessed 12 July 2014
He held honorary degrees from King's College London and the Universities of Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, and York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. He was also an Honorary Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
and an Honorary Bencher of Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...
. He was elected to the British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
in 1975 and served as its president from 2001 to 2005. Runciman was also an honorary fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college and specialises in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. Nuffield is one of Oxford's newer c ...
.[
]
Official and parliamentary work
Runciman was invited by the Governor of the Bank of England to serve on the Securities and Investment Board (later to become the Financial Services Authority), from which he retired in 1998.
Runciman chaired the British Government's Royal Commission on Criminal Justice
The Royal Commission on Criminal Justice, also known as the Runciman Commission, was established in London on 14 March 1991 by the Home Secretary for the purpose of examining the English system of criminal justice and make recommendations as to cha ...
, established in 1991 and which continued Sir John May
Sir John Douglas May, PC (28 June 1923 – 15 January 1997) was a British Court of Appeal judge appointed by the British Government to investigate the miscarriages of justice related to the Maguire Seven and other miscarriages linked to IRA bomb ...
's inquiry into the convictions of the Maguire Seven
Maguire ( , also spelled MacGuire or McGuire) is an Irish surname from the Goidelic languages, Gaelic , which is "son of Odhar" meaning "dun", "dark one". According to legend, this relates to the eleventh descendant of The Three Collas, Colla da ...
and encompassed further miscarriages of justice. It reported to parliament in 1993. As a result, the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 established the Criminal Cases Review Commission
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is the statutory body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was established by Section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and bega ...
as an executive Non-Departmental Public Body.[
Runciman was a member of the ]House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
as a hereditary peer from the time he inherited the viscountcy on 1 September 1989. He spoke 26 times in the chamber until 11 November 1999 when he lost his right to sit there when the bulk of the hereditary peers were removed by the House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...
. Runciman sat for a subsequent by-election to the Lords in 2010 to fill the Crossbench
A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...
hereditary seat vacancy following the death of the Viscount Colville of Culross
Viscount Colville of Culross, in the County of Perth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 15 July 1902 for the politician and courtier, Charles Colville, 10th Lord Colville of Culross. He had already been created B ...
; the House seat went to the Earl of Clancarty
Earl of Clancarty is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland.
History
The title was created for the first time in 1658 in favour of Donough MacCarty, 2nd Viscount Muskerry, of the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty. He had ...
.
Publications
Runciman's first major publication was ''Relative Deprivation and Social Justice: a Study of Attitudes to Social Inequality in Twentieth-Century Britain''. Since then, he has published ''A Critique of Max Weber's Philosophy of Social Science'', ''A Treatise on Social Theory'', and ''The Social Animal''.[ In 2004, he edited and contributed to a British Academy occasional paper ''Hutton and Butler: Lifting the Lid on the Workings of Power'', which deals with the events surrounding Britain's participation in the invasion of Iraq and the way in which it was presented to the British public.][
]
Marriage and children
Runciman married Ruth Hellman on 17 April 1963. She was made a (DBE) in 1998. They had three children:
* Hon
Hon or HON may refer to:
People
* Han (surname) (Chinese: 韩/韓), also romanized Hon
* Louis Hon (1924–2008), French footballer
* Priscilla Hon (born 1998), Australian tennis player
Other uses
* Hon (Baltimore), a cultural stereotype of ...
Lisa Runciman (born 18 August 1965)
* David Walter Runciman, 4th Viscount Runciman of Doxford (born 1 March 1967)
* Hon Catherine Runciman (born 18 July 1969)
Runciman died on 10 December 2020. His heir, the 4th Viscount, is a political scientist and writer who teaches at Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
as a Professor of Politics.[http://www.burkespeerage.com/]
Runciman
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Arms
Arms hidden, as no reliable source found -->
References
External links
*
Interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 16 April 2014 (video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runciman, Garry
1934 births
2020 deaths
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
British sociologists
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
English people of Scottish descent
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellows of the British Academy
Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge
Garry Runciman
People educated at Eton College
Presidents of the British Academy
Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom