Kenneth Owen Morgan, Baron Morgan, (born 16 May 1934) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

historian and author, known especially for his writings on

modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

British history The history of the British Isles began with its sporadic human habitation during the Palaeolithic from around 900,000 years ago. The British Isles has been continually occupied since the early Holocene, the current geological epoch, which star ...

and politics and on Welsh history. He is a regular reviewer and broadcaster on radio and television. He has been an influential intellectual resource in the Labour Party.

Life

He grew up in rural Wales and attended Aberdovey Council School in rural Wales,

University College School University College School, also known as UCS, is a private day school in Frognal, Hampstead, London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views. ...

in Hampstead (in London), and

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, 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 for ...

. The first two appealed to him. As for Oxford he recalled, "The disagreeable nature of the undergraduates was matched by the mediocrity of the tutors. They were astonishingly poor ... All in all, Oriel seemed more like a backwoods seminary of mid-Victorian days than a modern educational institution." He had better luck outside his insular college. "On the intellectual side, I attended a variety of lectures which seemed to me brilliant and what I really needed in Oxford, by people like

Asa Briggs Asa Briggs, Baron Briggs (7 May 1921 – 15 March 2016) was an English historian. He was a leading specialist on the Victorian era, and the foremost historian of broadcasting in Britain. Briggs achieved international recognition during his lon ...

, Christopher Hill,

Hugh Trevor-Roper Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, (15 January 1914 – 26 January 2003) was an English historian. He was Regius Professor of Modern History (Oxford), Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Trevor-Rope ...

, and the incomparable and deeply entertaining Alan Taylor." He returned to Oxford for doctoral work, specializing in the role of Wales in British politics in the late 19th century, with a focus on

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

. He greatly enjoyed graduate work, taking his DPhil in 1958. He taught at

University of Wales Swansea Swansea University () is a public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the ...

from 1958 to 1966 and held an

ACLS Fellowship The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a private, nonprofit federation of 75 scholarly organizations in the humanities and related social sciences founded in 1919. It is best known for its fellowship competitions which provide a ra ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, New York in 1962–1963, also teaching there in 1965. He was a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

, from 1966 to 1989 and served as Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

from 1989 to 1995. In this capacity, he served as a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow of

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

, from 1991 to 1992. He was principal of the

University of Wales, Aberystwyth Aberystwyth University () is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across three academic facul ...

in the 1990s. In 1983 he was elected Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies 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 sa ...

and in 1992 he was made an Honorary Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford, and in 2002 of Oriel College. He became a

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

of the

Gorsedd of Bards Gorsedd Cymru (), or simply the Gorsedd (), is a society of Welsh-language poets, writers, musicians and others who have contributed to the Welsh language and to public life in Wales. Its aim is to honour such individuals and help develop and p ...

in 2008 and in 2009 received the gold medal from the

Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (), often called simply the Cymmrodorion, is a London-based Wales, Welsh learned society, with membership open to all. It was first established in 1751 as a Social club, social, cultural, literary society, l ...

for lifetime achievement. He is also a Founding Fellow of the

Learned Society of Wales The Learned Society of Wales () is a national academy, learned society and Charitable organization, charity that exists to "celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines", and to serve the W ...

Politics

Morgan is a member of the Labour Party, and on 12 June 2000 he was made a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baron Morgan, of

Aberdyfi Aberdyfi (), also known as Aberdovey ( ), is a village and community in Gwynedd, Wales, located on the northern side of the estuary of the River Dyfi. The population of the community was 878 at the 2011 census. The electoral ward had a larger ...

in the County of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

. He has served on the Lords Select Committee on the Constitution.

Family

He was married to the historian and criminologist Jane Morgan, who died in 1992; they had two children together, David and Katherine. In 2009 he married Elizabeth Gibson, senior lecturer in law at the universities of

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

and

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

before becoming professor in English studies and law at the university of Poitiers. They have five grandchildren.

Writing

Kenneth Morgan is the author of many works, such as ''The People's Peace'', his notable history of

postwar Britain A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

, and has completed biographies of many politicians, including

David 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. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

Keir Hardie James Keir Hardie (15 August 185626 September 1915) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. He was a founder of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, and was its first Leader of the Labour Party (UK), parliamentary leader from 1906 to 1908. ...

James Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...

, and

Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 19133 March 2010) was a British politician who was Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition from 1980 to 1983. Foot beg ...

. He is the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of the best-selling ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain'', to which he contributed the two final chapters (1914–2000 and 2000–10), and which has sold close on a million copies. He also edited the ''

Welsh History Review ''The Welsh History Review'' (Welsh: Cylchgrawn Hanes Cymru) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the history of Wales. It is published in four parts per volume, one volume every two years. The journal was established in 1960. The editors- ...

'' from 1961 to 2003. ''Wales in British Politics, 1868–1922'', dealt with the enlarged franchise, the campaign for

disestablishment The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular s ...

Home Rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

legislation (mainly with regard to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

) and contrasting attitudes to an imminent World War. ''Freedom or Sacrilege'' dealt with contrasting stances on the issue of Welsh church

but where he came down in favour of the freedom obtained under the latter.

Labour history

In the 1950s to 1970s,

labour history Labor history is a sub-discipline of social history which specializes on the history of the working classes and the labor movement. Labor historians may concern themselves with issues of gender, race, ethnicity, and other factors besides class ...

was redefined and expanded in focus by a number of historians, amongst whom the most prominent and influential figures were

E. P. Thompson Edward Palmer Thompson (3 February 1924 – 28 August 1993) was an English historian, writer, socialist and peace campaigner. He is best known for his historical work on the radical movements in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in partic ...

and

Eric Hobsbawm Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. His best-known works include his tetralogy about what he called the "long 19th century" (''Th ...

. The motivation came from current

left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

in Britain and the United States and reached red-hot intensity. Morgan was a more traditional liberal historian who followed the new trends and explains their dynamic: Morgan sees benefits: Morgan tells of the downside as well:

Works

*''David Lloyd George, Welsh Radical as World Statesman'' (1963) *''Wales in British Politics, 1868–1922'' (1963, rev ed 1992
online
*''Freedom or Sacrilege'' (1966) *''The Age of Lloyd George'' (1971) *(ed.) ''Lloyd George, Family Letters'' (1973) *''Lloyd George'' (1974) *''Keir Hardie, Radical and Socialist'' (1975
online[
*''Consensus and Disunity: The Lloyd George Coalition Government 1918–1922'' (1979
online
*(jointly with Jane Morgan) ''Portrait of a Progressive'' (1980), a biography of Christopher Addison *''David Lloyd George 1863–1945'' (1981) *''Rebirth of a Nation: Wales 1880–1980'', part of the Oxford History of Wales (1981
online
*''Labour in Power, 1945–1951'' (1984
online
*(joint ed.) ''Welsh Society and Nationhood'' (1984) *(ed.) ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain'' (1984, many rev eds down to 2009, almost lm.copies sold) *''Labour People'' (1987, rev ed 1992) *(ed.) ''The Oxford History of Britain'' (1987, rev ed 2010) *''The Red Dragon and the Red Flag'' (1989) *(ed.) ''The Oxford Mini History of Britain'' (1989, in 5 vols.) *''Britain and Europe'' (1995) *''The People's Peace: Britain since 1945'' (1989, rev ed 2001) *''Modern Wales, Politics, Places and People'' (1995) *(ed.) ''The Young Oxford History of Britain and Ireland'' (1996) *''Callaghan: A Life'' (1997) *(ed.) ''Crime, Police and Protest in Modern British Society'' (1999) *''The Great Reform Act of 1832'' (2001) *''The Twentieth Century'' (2001) *''Universities and the State'' (2002) *''Michael Foot: A Life'' (2007) *''Ages of Reform'' (2011) *(ed.) 'David Lloyd George 1863–2013' (2013), ''Journal of Liberal History'' issue 77,
Online
*''Revolution to Devolution: Reflections on Welsh Democracy'' (2014) * ''My Histories'' (2015)

References

Bibliography

* Kenneth O. Morgan, ''My Histories'' (2015), autobiograph
online
House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 12 July 2000 {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Kenneth O. Labour Party (UK) life peers 1934 births Living people 20th-century Welsh historians Fellows of the Queen's College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford Vice-chancellors of Aberystwyth University Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Vice-chancellors of the University of Wales Historians of Wales 21st-century Welsh historians Life peers created by Elizabeth II People from Aberdyfi People educated at University College School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Historians of the University of Oxford