Thomas Johnson Nossiter (24 December 1937 – 12 January 2004) was Professor of Government at the London School of Economics from 1989 until 1994.

Early life

Nossiter was the son of Alfred and Margaret (''née'' Hume) Nossiter. He was educated at Stockton Grammar School. He did National Service in the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

between 1956-58. Nossiter completed his higher education at the University of Oxford, as an undergraduate at Exeter College and a graduate at Nuffield. He took the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy. His thesis, completed under the auspices of the Faculty of Modern History and submitted in 1968, was entitled, ''Elections and political behaviour in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

and Newcastle, 1832-74''.

Academic career

For the rest of his life Nossiter studied and lectured in political sociology. In 1964 he was appointed Lecturer in Social Studies at the University of Leeds. He continued to live in Leeds throughout the time during which he was working in London. He was first appointed to the London School of Economics in 1973 and for more than twenty years he taught an entire generation of students in the Government department. He went on to hold the positions of * Senior Lecturer (1977–83) * Chairman of Examiners University of London External Programme BSc (1980) * Chairman of the Working Party on Revision of the External BSc (1983) * Reader (1983–87), Chairman of the Board of Studies in Economics (1984–85) * Dean of the Graduate School (1986–89), Academic Governor (1988–92) * Professor of Government (1989–94) * Professor Emeritus (appointed for life in 1996)

Other aspects of his life

Nossiter was an advocate of adult education, both at home and further afield. In 1991 he was appointed an Honorary Citizen of Trá Lí (Tralee), Contae Chiarraí (County Kerry) in recognition of his endeavours in the field. His obituary noted that "he had touched thousands of lives in rural India".Tom Nossiter Professor of government at LSE Martin Wainwright Monday February 23, 2004 The Guardian
/ref> In 1999 he was elected a Councillor on Leeds City Council for the Liberal Democrats. He resigned after six months in office representing Horsforth ward.

Publications

On own

* ''Influence, opinion and political idioms in reformed England: case studies from the north-east, 1832-74'' (Hassocks, 1975) * ''Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982) * ''Marxist state governments in India: politics, economics and society'' (London: Pinter, 1988)

Administrative guide

* ''BSc (Economics) Degree. Government, parts I/II'' (University of London External Advisory Service Subject Guide, London: University of London, 1989)

Edited

* ''Broadcasting Finance in Transition'' with Blumler, Jay G. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991) * ''The letters of

Alastair Hetherington Hector Alastair Hetherington (31 October 1919 – 3 October 1999) was a British journalist, newspaper editor and academic. For nearly twenty years he was the editor of ''The Guardian'', and is regarded as one of the leading editors of the secon ...

(Editor of '' The Guardian'' 1958-75)'' British Library of Economic and Political Science 1997. * ''Imagination and precision in the social sciences: essays in memory of Peter Nettl'' with A.H. Hanson and Stein R. Rokkan (London: Faber, 1972)

Sources and external Links

* ''Debrett's People of Today'' (12th edn, London: Debrett's Peerage, 1999), pp. 1455-6

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nossiter, Thomas 1937 births 2004 deaths Academics of the London School of Economics Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Alumni of Nuffield College, Oxford Academics of the University of Leeds Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Councillors in Leeds People from Stockton-on-Tees Historians of Kerala 20th-century British Army personnel Royal Corps of Signals soldiers