The Oxford University Liberal Club (OULC) was a student political club at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

from 1913 to 1987. Initially formed from clubs called the Russell Club and the Palmerston Club, in its early years it also occupied premises in Oxford and acted as a gentlemen's club. In 1987, in advance of the merger of the Liberals and

Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

to create the Liberal Democrats nationally, the Club merged with the Oxford University Social Democrats to form the

Oxford University Liberal Democrats The Oxford University Liberal Democrats is the student branch of the Liberal Democrats for students at the University of Oxford, with the purpose to support, develop, improve and promote the policies and candidates of the Liberal Democrats and ...

History

OULC was founded in 1913, stating is aim as being "to rally progressive members of the University to the support of Liberal principles". It was formed from a merger of two older

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

clubs at Oxford, the Russell Club and the Palmerston Club, both of which dated to at least the 1870s and had as their goals the promotion of liberal politics. This makes OULC arguably the oldest political club founded at an English university.James Rattue, ''Kissing Your Sister: A History of the Oxford University Liberal Club and Its Successors 1913–1993 on the Occasion of Its Eightieth Anniversary'' (1993), pp. 5–52 Also existing in the early 1900s was a political society called the 'Liberal League', founded "in defence of free trade". An early member was

J. B. S. Haldane John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (; 5 November 18921 December 1964), nicknamed "Jack" or "JBS", was a British-Indian scientist who worked in physiology, genetics, evolutionary biology, and mathematics. With innovative use of statistics in biolog ...

, who joined the club and became active in its debates. At first occupying upstairs club rooms on the corner of

Cornmarket Street Cornmarket Street (colloquially referred to as Cornmarket or historically The Corn) is a major shopping street and pedestrian precinct in Oxford, England that runs north to south between Magdalen Street and Carfax Tower. To the east is the Gold ...

and George Street, which were open to members for most of the day, OULC was modelled on the usual pattern of gentlemen's clubs of the day, before the arrival of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the general reduction in the number of students in residence at Oxford. The club faced problems in the 1920s, as around half of its members defected and joined the

Oxford University Labour Club Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) was founded in 1919 to promote democratic socialism and is today the home of the Labour Party and of social democracy at Oxford University. OULC is the largest and oldest university Labour club in the count ...

, established in 1919, or the New Reform Club, a pro-

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...

group, reflecting the division of the national Liberal Party at the time. Despite this, Lloyd George was honorary president of OULC in the 1920s and 1930s and was then widely seen in Oxford as a hero of liberalism.

Trevor Aston Trevor Henry Aston (14 June 1925 – 17 October 1985) was a British historian and academic at the University of Oxford. He was a tutor in history and fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from 1952 to 1985. In addition, he served as Keeper of ...

, Brian Harrison, ''The History of the University of Oxford'', Vol. VIII (1994), p. 405

Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 19133 March 2010) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Labour Leader from 1980 to 1983. Foot began his career as a journalist on ''Tribune'' and the ''Evening Standard''. He co-wrote the 1940 p ...

was president of the club while at Oxford.“The Oxford debate and the Peace” in Michael Pugh, ''Liberal Internationalism: The Interwar Movement for Peace in Britain'' (2012), p. 104 In

Hilary term Hilary term is the second academic term of the University of OxfordFrank Byers Charles Frank Byers, Baron Byers, (24 July 1915 – 6 February 1984) was a British Liberal Party politician who later became a life peer and Privy Councillor. Background Byers was born in Wallasey, Cheshire. He was the son of Charles Cecil By ...

was President of OULC,

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

Treasurer, and Raymond Walton Secretary. They made efforts to make membership more attractive, including the creation of a newspaper and a club library, and membership trebled to over 300. It continued to grow during and after the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

, with a peak of over a thousand members reached in 1950 under the Presidency of

Jeremy Thorpe John Jeremy Thorpe (29 April 1929 – 4 December 2014) was a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979, and as leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. In May 1979 he was tried at th ...

. However, by this point OULC had become more of a social club than a political one, with its activities including dinners, parties, dances, and even balls. Political upheavals in the late 1970s, and then the emergence of the Oxford University Social Democrats in 1981, led to a fall in the number of OULC members. In 1987, the two merged, but some of the social functions from the heyday of the Liberal Club were continued.

Notes

{{reflist Liberals Politics of Oxford Student wings of political parties in the United Kingdom