Kenneth O. Morgan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Morgan
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 12 June 2000 Life Peerage |
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| Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth | |
| In office 1989–1995 |
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| Preceded by | Gareth Owen |
| Succeeded by | Derec Llwyd Morgan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 May 1934 |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouses |
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| Alma mater | Oriel College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Historian |
Kenneth Owen Morgan, Baron Morgan (born 16 May 1934) is a famous Welsh historian and writer. He is especially known for his books about modern British history and politics, and also about Welsh history. He often shares his knowledge on radio and TV. He has also been an important thinker for the Labour Party.
Contents
Life and Education
Kenneth Morgan grew up in rural Wales. He went to Aberdovey Council School and then University College School in London. He later studied at Oriel College, Oxford, which is a part of Oxford University. He earned his DPhil (a high-level university degree, like a PhD) in 1958. His studies focused on how Wales influenced British politics in the late 1800s.
Academic Career
After his studies, Kenneth Morgan taught at University of Wales Swansea from 1958 to 1966. He also spent time teaching in New York at Columbia University. From 1966 to 1989, he was a Fellow at Queen's College, Oxford.
He also served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales from 1989 to 1995. A Vice-Chancellor is like the head of a university. During this time, he was also the principal of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
Awards and Recognition
Kenneth Morgan has received many honors for his work. In 1983, he became a Fellow of the British Academy, which is a group of leading experts in the humanities and social sciences. He was also made an Honorary Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford, and Oriel College.
In 2008, he became a Druid of the Gorsedd of Bards. This is a special honor in Wales for people who have contributed to Welsh culture. In 2009, he received a gold medal from the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion for his lifetime achievements. He is also a founding member of the Learned Society of Wales.
Political Involvement
Kenneth Morgan is a member of the Labour Party, a major political party in the United Kingdom. On 12 June 2000, he was made a life peer. This means he was given the title of Baron Morgan and became a member of the House of Lords. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament. As a Lord, he has served on the Lords Select Committee on the Constitution, which looks at how the government works.
Family Life
Kenneth Morgan was married to Jane Morgan, who was also a historian. They had two children, David and Katherine. Jane passed away in 1992. In 2009, he married Elizabeth Gibson. She was a law professor at universities in France. Together, they have five grandchildren.
Published Works
Kenneth Morgan has written many important books. One of his well-known works is The People's Peace, which tells the story of Britain after 1945. He has also written biographies (life stories) of many famous politicians. These include David Lloyd George, Keir Hardie, James Callaghan, and Michael Foot.
He was also the editor of The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain. This book has sold nearly a million copies! He wrote the final chapters of this book, covering the years from 1914 to 2010.
From 1961 to 2003, he edited the Welsh History Review, a journal about Welsh history. His book Wales in British Politics, 1868–1922 looked at how voting rights changed and the campaign for the disestablishment of the Welsh church. Disestablishment meant separating the church from the government.
Studying History
Kenneth Morgan has explored different ways of studying history. He believes it's important to look at the lives of everyday people, not just leaders. He likes to use different sources, including oral history, which means collecting stories from people who lived through events. He feels that understanding the idea of "class" (different groups of people in society) is key to understanding working-class history.
Works
- David Lloyd George, Welsh Radical as World Statesman (1963)
- Wales in British Politics, 1868–1922 (1963, rev ed 1992)
- 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)
- Consensus and Disunity: The Lloyd George Coalition Government 1918–1922 (1979)
- (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)
- Labour in Power, 1945–1951 (1984)
- (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
- Revolution to Devolution: Reflections on Welsh Democracy (2014)
- My Histories (2015)
