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*Brother, Hugh Swann, cabinet maker to
Entry on "BBC Key Facts"Another article on the BBCMichael Swann Building, University of Edinburgh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swann, Michael 1920 births 1990 deaths Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Edinburgh BBC Governors Chairmen of the BBC British biologists Chancellors of the University of York Swann. Michael Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Honorary Fellows of Trinity College Dublin Knights Bachelor Life peers People educated at Winchester College Principals of the University of Edinburgh Provosts of Oriel College, Oxford 20th-century biologists
Michael Meredith Swann, Baron Swann, FRS, FRSE (1 March 1920 – 22 September 1990) was a British molecular and
from 1973 to 1980 having been appointed by Conservative Prime Minister cell biologist
Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...
. He was appointed chairman of the BBC, awarded a knighthood and subsequently a life peerage.
Early life
Swann was born inCambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
, the eldest of three children of pathologist Meredith Blake Robson Swann and his wife, Marjorie Dykes.
Swann was educated at King's College School, Cambridge, and then at Winchester College
Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...
, a boarding independent school for boys in the city of Winchester in Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
, where he was an Exhibitioner
An exhibition is a type of scholarship award or bursary.
United Kingdom and Ireland
At the universities of Dublin, Oxford, Cambridge and Sheffield, at some public schools, and various other UK educational establishments, an exhibition is a sma ...
. He then studied Zoology at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of t ...
, where he graduated MA.
Life and works
He served with theBritish Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and being Mentioned in Dispatches. From 1946 Swann lectured in zoology at the University of Cambridge, his former Alma Mater.
He moved to Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted ...
as Professor of Natural History in 1952. In 1953 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were James Ritchie, John Gaddum
Sir John Henry Gaddum (31 March 1900 – 30 June 1965) was an English pharmacologist who, with Ulf von Euler, co-discovered the neuropeptide Substance P in 1931. He was a founder member of the British Pharmacological Society and first editor ...
, Sir Maurice Yonge and Harold Callan. He won the Society's Makdougall Brisbane Prize for 1970/72. In 1962 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
.
His academic work was on the mechanisms of cell division
Cell division is the process by which a parent cell divides into two daughter cells. Cell division usually occurs as part of a larger cell cycle in which the cell grows and replicates its chromosome(s) before dividing. In eukaryotes, there ar ...
and fertilisation. He used cell polarisation methods to understand the changes in molecular organisation of the mitotic spindle
In cell biology, the spindle apparatus refers to the cytoskeletal structure of eukaryotic cells that forms during cell division to separate sister chromatids between daughter cells. It is referred to as the mitotic spindle during mitosis, a pr ...
. With his collaborator Murdoch Mitchison
The Honounorable John Murdoch Mitchison FRS, FRSE (11 June 1922, Oxford – 17 March 2011, Edinburgh) was a British zoologist.
Background
Family
Mitchison was the son of the Labour politician Dick Mitchison and his wife, the writer Naomi ...
, he found evidence in support of a new theory of cell division. He collaborated with Victor Rothschild in experiments on changes in membrane structure during fertilisation.
From 1965 to 1974, he was the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted ...
. In 1968, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Leicester. During his term as Principal, he encountered difficulty with students led by Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
who had unusually been elected as Rector of the University. He received a knighthood
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 church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...
in the 1972 Birthday Honours, having the honour conferred by the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
herself on 5 December 1972.
He was Chairman of the Governors of the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...
, who admired his strong leadership during student protests at Edinburgh University. He was created a life peer as Baron Swann, of Coln St Denys in the County of Gloucestershire on 16 February 1981. In 1980 Swann became Provost of Oriel College
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, w ...
, although he resigned after nine months, and was also Chancellor of the University of York from 1979 until his death. In 1981, he was made an honorary fellow of Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
.
In 1969 he led the Swann Report "on The Flow into Employment of Scientists, Engineers and Technologists". In 1985 he led the Swann Report "Education for All", a report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups.
He died in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on 22 September 1990.
Legacy
The Michael Swann Building of theUniversity of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
at Kings Buildings is named after him. It continues to be used for work on cell division and fertilisation to this day.
Family
In 1942, he married Tess Gleadowe (died 2009). They had two sons and two daughters.
*Brother, Hugh Swann, cabinet maker to the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
*Uncle, Brigadier Vivian Dykes, Chief Combined Secretary British Joint Staff Mission Washington, 1942
*Stepfather, Sir Sydney Castle Roberts, Secretary of Cambridge University Press, author; Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge
*Brother-in-law, Monsignor Graham Leonard
References
External links
Entry on "BBC Key Facts"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swann, Michael 1920 births 1990 deaths Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Edinburgh BBC Governors Chairmen of the BBC British biologists Chancellors of the University of York Swann. Michael Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Honorary Fellows of Trinity College Dublin Knights Bachelor Life peers People educated at Winchester College Principals of the University of Edinburgh Provosts of Oriel College, Oxford 20th-century biologists